Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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7 L/ }0 z$ {6 N4 y  m1 l6 D> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  j4 F9 R& N; r> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
7 f5 S% n* M7 I6 E# N> same choice?
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> 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
$ A' u$ M" ~2 o/ c> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
. c7 E4 z( f3 e$ O# w% r3 w& U> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
, q  S. ~5 g6 `/ t+ D> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 L# g" p6 ]  c. b6 k6 X> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
8 ~. W" _5 L. v. O> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
- T' ~: T' Z' q) J; @  q7 X> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
. c. n1 T- I; i3 n/ R> 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
6 R  H: M8 D& g> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
1 J: |8 d( @  b5 r, }! x> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
  F- {; I1 M* E, v# u$ X7 Y* c> inning.'
>
1 q; g* i: T* [7 c7 L> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
5 c  N# ~' X: s$ ^7 r  h- U$ r> 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
> 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
7 \1 P: M/ V1 n> 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
# p& x  `: A* s$ S  Z! M> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
" W; n4 V/ b# [) l0 z5 Q> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
9 G! V8 S) W3 @' X/ ~% ~7 c> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
8 U* p8 f" T: j8 n1 j> next at bat.
>
> 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
/ q3 z) m& ], z6 v2 ?> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
, J7 b( Y5 [+ ?+ s> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
5 c2 b0 V7 D% f4 Q0 u: X> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
. J. ~3 t5 H9 ^5 z0 g> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
4 D, Y6 M3 O' H: B# ^9 f5 Z> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
: n0 y/ Y6 T% i> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
$ b( Q( C# N9 U& J4 n4 H& u> 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.
>
6 o* V* x& X5 r0 K) A: l% }5 }# \> 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
4 E  Z9 @/ m3 ?9 \> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
# e* N& L9 F+ n. ?8 g> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
( l, h: n( z. h) r6 g> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 d0 t- `+ P! A. T  m! |. u" I> 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
* T2 u2 G  u4 B5 D> 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,
. m& F- a7 P6 }5 |2 r, E% q> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
( O6 k0 A! C' d$ [" ?> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
  G/ |9 C3 L. i  R> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
* _- T; K( A7 \3 }0 d& i> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
# H' H, Q' O( @4 V( U> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
- z9 y' q: u7 L1 m; h' y9 r> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
/ Y& z. H( t' ]' |4 J  N( N> game for his team.
>
, n3 ], x- Y6 ~> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" r3 d+ @: `3 c1 \! ^& c> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
$ X; v* @) S/ t! }8 S> 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
0 Y5 u7 G1 \6 v' s4 \/ p1 v> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
+ k" D: j! k8 U> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
- ^) t  R9 ^- c4 L5 w> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
: H: t+ P, r  U& r6 S# s% T6 B. W> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
! U8 i4 F3 }( P2 r' O# s> 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
> 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
7 g+ Y6 @" b) [+ [2 j1 R> bit colder in the process?
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7 M2 j# ~$ E7 E6 v. J. Z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
) W* h9 c& X" D2 o> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
4 \& l$ W8 O/ q( q9 f( S" d: F, n> May your day, be a Shay Day.