Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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6 m+ Q7 l& \1 D7 ~' m/ C& s- K; `> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  |; E- R* m6 c' L8 r> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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5 [+ a, A- V# M3 D> 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
$ C& N% f- K/ d4 u> staff, he offered a question:
>
1 x' ~, X* Z* n0 M- j2 g2 l" s> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
( t0 w. v) f% A  O  ?/ l7 b> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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; h+ q2 c5 j  o/ M  {  i+ j> 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
> 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
) k8 ~' R6 k+ Y( J> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
( U, y) ^7 a9 ~) b> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
+ U6 F; `) q- p6 S  g" B> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
6 W' g  J' a% w' r, q7 n  Z/ ^> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 H+ D1 o) M# j7 k. l> 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
9 ?9 X8 Z2 W* A2 i> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
$ z8 |$ x8 I7 P/ E> inning.'
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> 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
> 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
1 m8 S5 K! Y. |/ a3 z2 W> 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
, p2 \5 Q& c9 Y3 J3 Q> 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
> next at bat.
>
" Z) ^( i4 i+ X$ D- O# F- `> 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.
> 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
. D/ D! x3 p2 v$ j+ B> 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.
  Q! r3 z& H6 V, A/ I2 J> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
8 r4 D4 h' g" I( I9 b> right back to the pitcher.
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6 d8 K4 l. e/ n) Q& `: }+ E% W3 s> 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.
>
% u2 O( [. j0 u) Z9 n* M> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
9 T/ E  y7 N: `* g7 C! D> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
, G( P  a& K; ]> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
, s: D. B" E$ F  x, @9 @> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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7 @+ U% j: p) x* r+ Q% H> 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
; [! q% {9 o8 @5 e) E: H1 h* K> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
( s+ l5 d5 {4 K* l2 r( r> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
4 R- I) O- E+ X' _! c# F) n> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
$ V: A2 h/ S5 Y$ _> 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'
>
* v, @% L7 D' Y& a) B> 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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/ d& S3 j* \/ s" {! V: Z8 r> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
. x' w& F: A, y; Y3 c- L4 g, _> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
8 s% K$ r$ z: O6 z. c8 M) ^> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
; U8 _2 z! v8 w0 ^> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 }& t; B1 u( \5 B8 I7 S3 G> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
* T" T7 p1 C. r2 V" S) q> into this world'.
>
; q" I2 [$ I( r4 h/ T$ N; k3 c> 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!
>
> 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
! Q6 d. y' ?7 u# P% E# ?1 q0 j> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
$ E; Z0 `' S: e( l> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
' m; ~4 q9 x1 `> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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" }4 ^- ?  m1 k9 a> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
9 y0 [9 ~) [* N* G2 O> 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
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
5 x; V' t- g; U. d0 W" f9 ^- N' P> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.