Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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  r! H7 H5 f2 `, }& }> 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
> same choice?
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7 X5 C' N3 m* T4 j! K> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
$ Q& z# I0 C& A# Q6 w> 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
& |5 v5 O' n1 _4 C+ b4 n* m- k' h> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
4 }1 Y$ e9 x5 z& g1 o2 F  w( Q> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
; T( \. p5 K. s& \> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
/ n! L6 m( Y0 N( k> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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7 u  O5 Q3 K" _> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' s  b3 {. q1 O- U5 W> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
; l3 k8 A2 m0 y. Q0 ~, t> 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
2 F4 i* _0 |9 D/ t> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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3 J7 g, t& o) f  l. `> 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
3 T$ q9 u+ q, }( R5 r> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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/ P3 n- W2 h, c2 t+ Y> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
, \+ C% `2 k) n0 [7 O> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
# k# O6 K" M. F6 Y1 ^+ h> 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
! w4 p( U8 U8 p" D/ \> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 r9 {6 c( Q5 ~5 p! J0 ~+ L( r3 m4 T> 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
, ?& F0 p8 Q! R/ Z7 ^) n; d7 c> 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.
>
> 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
# |( ]- n) h# I2 |# ]3 P> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
- r& s1 k$ c$ y% R  n9 K4 H, s4 n> much less connect with the ball.
9 i# `: @4 y1 O2 D9 D& C> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: b2 @. m4 p: N& b5 B& ^> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
. l8 }1 m: D( |> 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
) D' ?0 H) h8 }2 @4 ~# ~6 e7 X> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
6 O$ o0 r; S5 _, E> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
. Q3 B6 C0 n! e% Z3 d  c9 i" m> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
> 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,
" _$ u% H( |' \8 t> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
: T0 s: i) ]0 K; [> 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
> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
6 K9 T3 e: @$ `' l0 I> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
  \. \6 Q+ P6 p5 s4 y8 I6 B> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
/ u0 y6 @/ H8 L( k* K> 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
2 ?1 C+ c3 r' o* z$ X' o> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
: B1 M3 s5 W. b& z> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
# s- J0 V5 p$ q* M2 ~+ T> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
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>
0 [# e) b" l  n8 U2 y> 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!
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& V, y5 R$ Z$ Y3 r9 H> 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
% p0 I, Q8 k) e. |  i) I> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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- G" r5 g& g2 i( B> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: ]# }2 i4 W8 V( ~: Y; Y! ^> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
, Y. e8 @4 d- ?7 e/ X" q> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
. `7 u$ `. h$ F$ P; v+ m% i> 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
2 ]" k+ [' H% ]$ F2 R& D$ ^> 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
  O4 {+ D  @% A  [8 g, L- L0 V( d> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
0 }6 u1 V5 R: O1 A6 l1 F> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
9 Y. Q: ?6 C3 g& Y> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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3 n9 F( _6 ]9 O8 @; f3 b; d6 t> May your day, be a Shay Day.