Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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2 q1 {1 e* {& M9 l, E8 k: H& l9 G> 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
) I/ k, X6 x, S% a/ E> same choice?
>
$ ]$ u, Z) E3 w) ]> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
2 ]: x0 g: Q7 L! R: G# |  X> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
. n) W3 X: V& w& \8 E3 m# Y; N> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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% m8 _+ S7 S2 H( S, K> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
9 D4 M4 X* @. l$ g% K> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
1 j( I7 S8 r5 T1 d1 F> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
8 m& b) m0 y0 s* l> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 a' ^# b2 X# z1 C! k2 K3 L8 q2 \+ I> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
8 I; G; B4 h, m6 G& t> Then he told the following story:
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. S4 g+ b5 S' P% J  w; G> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
& X* ^( ^% {- D1 [) B* e> 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
> 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.
>
+ m# u7 o  }' ~# s' `( ]9 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
; s4 Q0 ?9 `6 T7 D) k> 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
, K9 I0 e% U1 c- `: v+ b! Z' D3 l! E> inning.'
>
( ^0 W/ }. }/ ~3 t> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- x# l" O5 d, |; ?> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
5 ~" H( k0 t! \0 G  Y7 \> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
- S/ e: C. i: v4 T> 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
> 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
( D& X6 y7 }. x4 s, ?> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
/ m' Q( q( T5 [/ D0 A8 ^" Y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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' C6 T9 c$ L, y0 f& B> 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.
. x3 w) Z$ K# m( q7 N) g> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
- n. q# `. b. X; ?  h$ m- k> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
0 C' j0 h1 o) t' k( ^> 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
2 f0 U# C+ C( j! v> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 x" D0 W; k5 n: @5 y> 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
- o. s) P/ O# x, }> 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
$ w; G; |, U) {# T$ T1 O/ I> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
4 Z. D6 N0 x) e/ q* |( F0 U2 Z> 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
3 T) v& [& U2 ^  q6 E> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
& Y: t, P0 s, `0 O> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
2 O9 z8 z( R& L% p- x, F% a, K; H> 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
, U: [8 \3 h- k; D4 n" D* l> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
( u9 {' C5 G2 D9 F$ A> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
4 a0 b5 m6 ]& A> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
1 U% o. _( N0 D! Q; I1 l) c# K) Z( ]> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
, A( q5 ]" k: O$ \> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
- g% h: o3 H. v: H$ e> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
> 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,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
: @# O5 ^3 c  M' }> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
( |+ W4 e  }7 v5 g, J- s3 K) |> 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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) |) C2 `! P; h3 Z> 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.
>
> 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
7 M3 w) K4 U  X2 d/ U' s" e> '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
9 Q. l7 s* @" i" V9 _> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
* B# i/ V' b2 C1 J* Q; A' W4 E> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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5 D) s/ d/ O# i# W' m> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 c2 L$ W7 [: M# N> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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, g; L! n- k( L+ ~> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
! t7 N! ?8 ^3 _4 I: v) q  T> May your day, be a Shay Day.