Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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: w$ y5 S1 R! x- W> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! Z# C7 W, @, F1 _; S" ]% X> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
, F3 }) p- n: E( T/ W% F6 {% a4 j> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
& r2 a6 R/ R' i  T8 S> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
: ~$ M+ W! [9 e( F5 Z- V> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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4 v- p; B+ K' x- v, j8 }- Z> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 m$ q8 Z/ P6 q> 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:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) `6 k: y, v- W) G1 O/ T8 z> 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
' _' n3 q) W9 z1 Q9 V> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
: ]( {0 \6 M& d" M" k" G> 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
4 c( K0 j( _. L4 d3 I5 g$ F> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 v" h! _' W6 g# U> inning.'
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7 c6 P) N8 I- _7 [" Y> 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
& G+ r9 g) H7 p+ }> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
# S! q; s( u* g; \2 r' r> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
5 z% p7 ?+ G  u' @> 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
, ]! o: e. i$ t" K9 J, T  {/ Q* n> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
" Y5 i: Q2 X0 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
% {* A2 Y* {: }' V" `> next at bat.
>
. }5 _# Q2 d  N% g  ?> 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
- ?; I+ H! g+ z+ o( q( \> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
% H# U4 m$ g  V  z) g. ?> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 A( F1 G0 N4 v* J4 Z! j8 x6 F. m> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
/ J  ^+ X3 K( {- q$ d> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
, N7 c$ O* R! o> 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.
: v& ?+ i% {0 Q9 u& ^> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
: K9 D) p- R( t. X> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
) n7 n( d: v0 y( }6 y> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
/ J. p. w. F' Y> 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
& Y  r6 _% ?% X8 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
' G1 t' n- C1 w> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
! ^2 C- Q( G( j5 B$ L> 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
9 e0 R/ h- r* @7 A7 f> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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" w0 Z, d# t; {. u/ l: x  }> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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) D! h% X3 e9 e, `7 W> 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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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 l" w! |1 j. k, }> 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
4 U+ l. T, q9 g6 z: l4 u: Q; I> game for his team.
>
8 ~4 R- i% U) j' h$ Y$ Z, w! Z5 l> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 e* [( U" Q1 \2 s  @& ]2 J" v2 ?3 K4 n> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
, M! q4 e9 U' B$ u+ P" x> into this world'.
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  W& f, [0 H8 Y" u/ x3 b> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 ?, V, Q; a6 n+ J0 [5 Q  T: t> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
( Y# z( S+ Z4 {5 o. F& D5 k> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
% C3 n0 Y4 U6 x% |/ S1 f6 X% P> 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
0 S& C) w# [7 C+ I! I* W> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
% j* K9 }6 b8 }$ c6 N7 v' |* w> 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?
>
  v! I2 o1 T0 @8 |8 @> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% q$ e/ K7 n9 S9 l> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
. ?8 {* I+ b4 f9 `2 r" |1 x> 2. Forward
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1 r. g  M' e& |$ d! _! ]> May your day, be a Shay Day.