Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 v/ W; e( q0 n( Z- `7 S; y+ s> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
! ?2 T) G, |0 l, D: L' G> same choice?
>
0 R, j" k0 L6 f. R8 A4 K) X> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. i: c& G% B" n/ N1 |) ~> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 P9 a7 X2 `! s, d+ y9 M9 Q$ z' M> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
. Q1 g8 [0 b9 b" B: C+ I> staff, he offered a question:
+ a6 L# O6 M0 T) Q! h>
> '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
" d2 X; U; c+ p' s: ^7 w> natural order of things in my son?'
4 _  m( D3 a! c4 S5 o' W) R4 {>
1 s  i  A! w: E! k/ h> The audience was stilled by the query.
+ o$ a% v% e- E3 N7 @$ h>
: G; U1 \' v5 Y% b$ f& B> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
' N2 U8 O* F7 Y; ~! y; Z- F> 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.'
, @! W. G4 X/ u6 X>
3 b* J# q* y* a$ \3 G> Then he told the following story:
, Y  w, A+ r, t+ k( N- N>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
/ M$ C7 z* \; L. N> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
+ I4 n+ K$ S$ h  q> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 W" f( _- B0 U: C> 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
+ E4 N$ N- T% [2 l& b& }/ q> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
. g8 ?4 k. M+ r4 P! q; d> inning.'
>
9 U2 X  ]6 ]1 e$ m. k% J> 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
( v9 _! l, z- Y. {  y7 k) [> 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
> 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
  a* ?( I" H1 M& h/ n> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
0 J: b1 L$ y$ F> 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.
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: C) ~8 ~2 Q1 H5 }> 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.
" F  _! p  p* O/ g> 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
> 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
/ i* E0 D4 I9 `> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
! r4 x- `" J8 v1 u> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 i8 ?3 d5 O, N4 d5 \> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
7 l. }8 b/ ~/ d! q2 u( `& G> 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
4 ~; D( s% }7 f( ^> 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
6 H* A4 N1 m" o: L> 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
$ u! w$ {: t; V- F0 V> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
0 E5 Q" R7 w7 ^7 c> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
! O& a9 @( g2 P0 c% J> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
$ o+ Y2 P2 m- y6 f- o; a> 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
8 L4 l; J5 H$ s" ~> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
$ p/ a) l- T5 a> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
  R# l1 t5 b0 a> 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!
4 L) o+ p) e* R" y> Shay, run to third!'
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  g+ c0 q0 o) g/ @- M> 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
( M* G3 [) C- v" t$ f% A( z( k> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
7 A- W# N, j# Z1 C( W> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
: k; Z( S: ]+ V  r2 C5 p. ~6 r) Q> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
2 |# l% {$ R  n1 @# Q7 P> into this world'.
7 Q4 Q3 i, j) o6 B& v>
8 H+ d/ V; X; w$ f1 l> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ H5 ~( p) j  {5 e" t2 H" v# T' d> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
' i" |5 x& ?: b8 D, R> 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
1 ?& l% m6 L* N( Y0 ~$ u1 X$ e> 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.
>
  S- O' N4 x9 s1 K> 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 E9 d3 w& {; F  c0 t; I  v> '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
> 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
# ^' Z; ~2 w0 e> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
! B) P/ ^; ~6 \> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
4 G- e! h( d) u+ L0 L>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
7 i1 Y( |! l" R# j" s+ V> 2. Forward
>
" K& q5 @# p" Z. X> May your day, be a Shay Day.