Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
6 J+ v! V. u, h3 G' O>
0 I0 q5 f9 a2 s> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
& x  R4 h3 P. o6 P$ S$ x" w> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
9 h- O1 K0 ?4 _> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
& l& [! Y( ?6 H; q> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
& c$ M% s! X4 N1 a* y, O> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
/ T, @) a# p! A: p> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
, a4 d; }. [8 l6 Y* s2 h8 C; L> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
  @  V2 {4 m, ]; N/ l> natural order of things in my son?'
>
* @4 O1 s) ^" d2 i# Z> The audience was stilled by the query.
4 g4 h) G9 _. R>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% L6 D7 g- Z# Y6 Q! ?> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 C5 _3 [3 Q; ]7 @5 A+ M; b( _> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
+ a; S5 t9 [# v, t; Y, a& R* T> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
2 Z7 y: e" B; @: P> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 a% P) D- |) b0 }& r' U> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
. b9 H0 V! [  `> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
$ R" O: E6 `5 n>
) L5 j8 w. K$ m1 F> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
5 \$ \- t. y1 d% Y1 H. ]5 L> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
( z# b/ l% N# K! p% I' n  U> inning.'
% l  r2 R4 G. }3 e>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
: l; W6 e$ R" U' Z, g) `- t> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
6 r6 V8 d8 v1 K' a' q> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
  \9 U* m& r7 M$ a> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
. {# V2 \4 P( \2 Q# ~- T> next at bat.
>
. g9 w! P( P0 i" ?$ j. u> 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.
6 D6 f# w! ?. r. L> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
9 \5 ~7 e+ M2 l. y> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
8 b( P) n& [5 Y% u; T" _+ H> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) d' q3 C. z+ [4 g> right back to the pitcher.
& q. e5 d* o$ J8 W) F>
$ x8 Z6 z$ B" P8 c$ b6 D> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> 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
/ {0 x) `9 u9 |# G% y9 B; x> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
2 F; T, V& L6 {5 a" @6 @>
% N$ r8 f) M) s! q6 R> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
2 L8 G6 T/ ]" e: W) X6 i> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> 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
: U: J/ A* [5 C, W% O' @> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
' Q2 Z; Q: q# u7 p4 x* z>
- |9 v: J& O4 |8 {$ a6 u) E# n> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
8 _# f1 h! Q  B' N  A) ]& I3 V3 r* ^) a$ i>
1 @. v8 u2 h# p. S8 J> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
# b. \3 x6 }$ {- Q: H3 T> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
" r, ?6 M" U1 H) ^> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
% P3 f; }0 f# Z$ ]>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  Z# A! T5 _7 i> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
4 H5 j) a: I) X8 ?0 @" P+ j9 m> 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
* q5 B. _  Z! X: l& h% N5 x> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
9 |/ k& j( A' ]* F. u> 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
  I" Q& i( |! K, M( x> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
! B. I# H/ ]0 H$ j) ~6 n> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
( n* y' }& i- u% M  s> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
, G, s+ z/ F# @% N0 x) T> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
8 g% T; t( S) F$ L> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
" }! t9 L2 v( A> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
" K/ Q3 i' K" f- M% D> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
7 d) c5 u! i: z1 I) P8 [> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
. E' Y8 f- i4 |" D) {! R( u> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
4 \! p; {8 @) a# V8 Q) z> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 x7 [2 s/ e$ n2 ?6 U> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
: F7 C  R$ U. w. r' L6 G7 c> 2. Forward
* J2 G; l* m3 \% m>
! i$ P6 J: F& D' v  v> May your day, be a Shay Day.