Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
4 x6 O( l( s9 W) U# X9 L> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 i( Q: a! T( e- i8 W5 r  {3 t& A> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
; W. J' K: n9 d; \2 b>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
6 d$ y* i! d9 n% X> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 B, A1 k# L! `' r0 X  Y> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
: x- l0 p1 i5 ]; M5 K& V> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
: D- p+ D+ k9 l0 [9 _> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* j4 ^0 ~/ O2 A. Q: q  \. L4 b> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
8 X4 ~$ }8 C, x3 ~% S( ~  O>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
8 U& M5 b; o+ C> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
9 R' U- W9 Z  G0 e+ v> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
2 u2 d- v' M# Y7 u  |> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 v% F, ?" T8 v4 T> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
" ~. ]% B/ e0 w> inning.'
4 T! D, T$ v2 i; O/ @4 k>
$ r& b) c$ d& o/ F5 R9 n& d: E> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
5 P7 z% u; h# b, \) s2 X( @, T> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
9 f3 s) e! z4 F6 ~' t8 Q  E> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 ]( {8 m3 n" }. q> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
0 f$ s0 D: S, \7 e> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
$ S5 r' @* {3 I( E$ Q* u4 k) t> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
% R  G5 B3 H. h* ]3 X> next at bat.
1 y" j1 ~1 W- M, Y( E& v. ^>
" J& s+ k1 i+ z& _* }3 {> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
  D7 N  @( F/ h& J+ I1 Z> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
. t( {  \; ]5 C# B% |# x> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
+ D* y& k- x) _% F2 H> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
' P9 C% w! T1 m; c* h> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
5 q! l8 I( v2 _8 M4 x  o' ]+ z> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
  v% Q4 \' A( n> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
! @8 K. o; ~: y) f) u7 J> out and that would have been the end of the game.
9 B4 z; A  p/ q" Z' a+ B% K>
- M, Q. @) }0 P# M> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
( T2 W* C; R) s0 z) T0 {> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
" e4 F" Q8 \* k, B0 F> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
5 ]1 r' z* l7 U* v>
$ Y- o: _" d; s8 j. B9 T9 V> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
0 R% a5 Y2 V  h: B# j8 u0 k> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
/ i' v7 Y0 o$ p, C> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. Z, d; v: e! I7 p6 m> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
' i7 c; A/ |+ i5 O; ?. [! U. j  g> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
5 k. x. v' F& i: d& X> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
% f2 C" V+ V6 @# t  M. A" P; I>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
* O! i/ f3 i; K- u' C/ Y>
3 P* O$ b+ A, A7 G5 t> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
, y/ v& B0 d8 \. L2 K7 X1 c> Shay, run to third!'
" D. `) J- Y0 Q- K: m' C/ H>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ Q' U3 |/ ^* X1 N6 ^  J& v> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
, \$ m9 C( F% E  C> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
& A! H$ n, u* [. X3 i2 @>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
* W' P9 ^/ ]* _; u) [> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
# v2 B4 u$ |* u> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
6 ]# b6 r1 O2 W6 R/ U+ r8 }>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
2 G0 J+ G1 Q8 m! s; U9 l! w5 `: x> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
% B( |. V7 [3 z/ T4 f  ~6 J>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
) c( X: z5 l% B, ?, c% j7 G0 s( Y> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
+ i, m' J$ E! z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
0 _( A6 b' i/ O> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 c9 @9 j8 A0 L> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
# z: P% y( A; q2 d' q# X> bit colder in the process?
9 [8 y4 b3 T. B# F6 i. T4 b( c6 c>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
( g- l7 K* R' ^6 T! h' _; X> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
1 ]5 e* c  G7 E. e8 S7 H# K" a6 Q> 2. Forward
3 l/ m1 v  X$ J. D# b0 v$ d) u- {>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.