Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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0 C5 p5 u: ~8 _; A- E& Z> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
; c+ ]3 g' O1 J! b# U" B> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
6 d4 Y% U. B1 b  H3 |> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
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3 e- C& H$ ^: A: S2 z> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
5 ]  C* Q" R! T1 `> 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?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 W# u: g: F! i> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
! M/ _( B) p7 P' v" Y( g> 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.
>
( ^; L- [/ [" q+ f4 j& D3 ]3 c. w> 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
% g; n3 b+ [# x& F> inning.'
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) N4 c6 X" N+ i> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 }  a/ _, Y5 h6 ?. ~8 k> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
, t5 j* k$ L' e" G  i> 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
> 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
: N% ~6 y, N3 S: x0 g* d) J> next at bat.
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( |4 h; J7 W+ ]- ]' b> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
" I4 g! Y; L! a- s9 L+ p> 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,
! \2 i' f0 |1 u7 h+ t! }> 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
: y/ H) f/ S6 m/ p- B* n> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
8 ^; V( _1 @; u' T7 Y9 u> 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 r6 y2 w' n# R! d> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
$ z1 H% U9 X+ j9 Z7 U  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
- X; h3 t: d/ A- U> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
" _, S" `, m4 Y) w> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
7 D# [7 z0 ]( z) S6 m7 W4 u" @> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
, J# U+ F, e& I+ c5 h> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
) l6 d3 Z! ~$ s3 F# B> 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
" S5 x/ I2 \3 ^: n! D, q+ k9 r5 z> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
. j5 @9 \" V% s3 ^1 z9 K> 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
) O$ u: n6 x, z0 Y' g( f> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
( f. h3 Q! ]: Y) ~! j1 M1 e/ \> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 b# E0 k3 D. ^> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
8 y+ S/ |) Z$ `$ [5 f> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 A& f" D/ U. O. N$ H+ e# c& e> 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.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 ^1 f3 j6 Z6 w, F5 V" B> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
/ `. B8 _9 k$ H0 d# @6 A; R> into this world'.
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: _" q2 g; ]9 a8 ]' A4 I: ]> 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
* M  ~* p/ v% s$ z& r) r3 f> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 n1 j2 z/ g3 h% U> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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* n* ?/ }1 K2 \4 O/ S* _> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 _3 T5 [- Z- @5 F> 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
> 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
% ]4 \, t  v- Y> 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
5 ~  R' n- a. X: H9 H' w& k> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 e9 a/ r! f, i: `> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
6 Q. n8 R. _. m3 m> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
7 U1 R% M: e, n- h. z( N8 E$ h> 2. Forward
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2 S3 p* A( A: h* g1 G> May your day, be a Shay Day.