Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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6 T" p6 p9 _7 K, K> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 X0 @3 n. Q" m4 u1 E) K# x> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
8 u$ H; y* O3 a  u+ p> same choice?
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! P. r  T' u$ M, X8 v& Q/ g3 J7 z> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
6 E8 J1 U% l2 C5 \# I# C> staff, he offered a question:
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5 y7 T, m) w- h/ R> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 @) a* t1 z8 g> 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
. \# B/ R+ _4 q0 g( @> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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0 a+ B8 ?& G8 q. i, E! \5 A> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
, G2 O" r) y1 m> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, }! q6 ^, P6 r> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) A* V  `& t3 p; C> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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! b% I. ]/ I2 l6 A! T$ A, l> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
* n; k4 Z' Z3 h3 d* i' C" i/ @; r+ m> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
+ {8 h" `; D/ j& r  J> inning.'
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2 F: s$ W4 c4 s, N5 Q  d> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
6 N' ~* Q' `2 Y7 o' K> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
: q0 {! a5 C5 j6 c/ 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
8 G' V! Q: X' X> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, j, R/ f) Q4 [7 a1 w5 ^> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
# z' ]5 a3 B3 J> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
' E8 i, |/ c3 a- n  s% @5 B4 h> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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2 s' I( r: V. M& K> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 P- X. y1 d+ y+ v> 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.
> 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
; r- a; `3 u: e; }% j3 }. s" h7 m> 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
4 e: P/ N+ v5 c- K* h5 Z/ R0 G> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
% ]" J) Z7 S/ V- x0 N/ p/ e> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
4 O2 w! g3 ]2 d& {% n> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: n) [# G1 j; G6 [8 {> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
1 K% E8 R0 ~6 Q& D: {; p> 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
' g8 l4 ]- w1 ~4 {# c6 G> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 X! ]& i  ~2 U0 W3 }> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
& R. \7 s' c4 O; X> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; }/ S# b* H4 E9 e> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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1 T  C/ X" M- W5 |> 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.
>
; `3 k: M0 i, l1 }+ w> '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
. |% h6 L6 Y: U5 u; i$ R8 p> into this world'.
>
3 p: N$ v" B! a3 H> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 n6 Z* V( j* ?& j> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
; e' G8 `1 D, i! x3 V> 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
9 a, ~8 h- ^. W$ @> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
& C# t/ X  r6 {% X+ y# c4 M, s( v> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
: I1 ?0 z! q% G> 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
2 u3 g5 z- r0 t4 V> 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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
; T# n, H% [' f4 c> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
. `3 ^4 A6 x3 |/ E7 b4 r; j> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
0 c; P* }$ ?4 m( }1 q5 l  _> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.