Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
: A0 P, z& G' W; P" L$ ~, U> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 k+ e# ?) l6 P# z> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> 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
: T  P( t0 F7 T, H, v& j4 Y8 P' h1 ]> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
9 K# f) l, G8 Y- x; x" R> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 U2 I8 {% y2 a) c1 A  d' U> 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
* |" I5 p. @( p> natural order of things in my son?'
>
8 {% X: E. S4 h: P> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
" C+ S: x& A) \- \> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
; o" }: @! l% @# Y> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
/ I7 S2 |; l, J. N. Z5 y- V# p> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
: |9 x+ Z) s  k& u9 }3 o" P>
> 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
. k- N& U, Q: g  r3 y/ v7 d+ b> 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.
$ U, ^% K* @( ?; U" x! H>
> 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
> inning.'
>
6 p$ y0 ~5 |/ t; m: y1 h> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) a& K$ Z+ F/ Q6 D> 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
$ V3 ^1 N) `8 P1 M> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
3 L2 X0 {# B9 ?) `- C4 [$ d. W> 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
' q3 p$ J- c4 q. d) H7 K2 y> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
; @" I- X8 ]7 u1 k> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
! F! p  ]6 T; ?/ N1 H( Y0 Z> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; ]3 ^1 m3 `* j8 r1 Z0 Y& c4 z> 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
" X. @5 R1 X2 F6 w2 R> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
' Y) Y7 p( p3 m6 W' T. K( m> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
( J: M% Z( t* _# c: O. R9 \7 R2 v> right back to the pitcher.
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" S2 o, a3 h$ ^: h' x# v1 V6 H> 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.
>
- R3 y0 a4 m# x> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; q& A& p" G2 [7 x0 T4 b' D; w7 f  N' 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
: `) b7 D+ j" g8 B+ c: C  u  j> 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
0 T' w6 F5 I6 Z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
' q9 \* Z1 _6 u7 `# {# ^! }> circled the bases toward home.
9 t  V+ T6 [5 l# M>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
$ I: f) E7 z6 d- ~$ g' i> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
- M* z3 f8 q: }8 n- P> 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
  C7 d8 l. ^& T8 g6 X> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
1 e' n+ E( Q/ k7 y2 E> game for his team.
: }6 d2 c* x8 g- U$ Z* N>
! A" ^. |! \* `" Q7 o2 h8 ]/ b& r> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
, }7 K+ p5 B/ [, i5 U> '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
( N: j9 l3 ?7 A% i> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
2 ~4 b4 K1 `6 u! l>
6 {& g7 P: Q; s- A* R> 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
7 t5 f& \4 k( d( l> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
9 {/ F1 h' j% Z7 V5 R. S> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# t4 O' [: M' Z) Q4 x5 Y5 E> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
+ y3 Y3 n7 Y) \- S. c% J. F; p> '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
% R8 W& `8 }: l4 ^7 w/ J. W> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
1 h  ]  X! v+ V$ G> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
) P# q0 m. ]: U$ L- C8 |' D. b> 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
$ C0 C7 P9 R9 a8 _  j* r> bit colder in the process?
3 a/ E4 C* n/ S2 h>
: u' C0 l  B$ g: `: q) l> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 t: H- [6 @' L6 c2 i3 l> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
3 V/ N7 \, P: l; ^  d- i: ^>
> You now have two choices:
2 G4 w$ q% r9 J; F! b0 ?> 1. Delete
# j7 o7 x7 r( B# L- |> 2. Forward
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: ?7 E6 y, L" f1 R5 M2 K> May your day, be a Shay Day.