Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
- H5 U% q5 B9 x* M* F> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 a' K& `0 W* V7 [7 u/ X> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
% A* {/ ^, y/ n0 O% \7 ]: H2 p> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
1 ]* Z4 L5 S$ d1 k$ X- Z3 y+ y  _> 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:
! t$ m# v" H; @7 w9 |: [' w) p+ E>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* N0 \! \7 s# j> 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
. Z% O* ^& O0 k* @1 V> natural order of things in my son?'
9 K; O4 D& H* o3 ?% r>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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.'
>
. K, Q& V8 |$ R& y* x> Then he told the following story:
! o6 R: U( T( k4 E' \6 C>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; i# }' ~4 p1 T, b0 G> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
! Y8 P8 u- o( j  W5 i5 n. q> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
& B8 r1 s; c; i: B7 \2 h> 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
+ D- f4 H8 Z3 w5 M# U/ c7 M. z/ H> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
7 x; C+ |; [& {; V) [/ w  b) Z> 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
, v) ?5 o; ^2 ~' X6 w. O- X+ F/ b8 M: Q> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- r4 J) k  E% K( r, W/ E> 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
+ I7 F) ?. v9 w0 ]6 @$ q> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
/ f& o9 z# s! w( w% a> 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
* B- e( ?  o8 Z4 b$ i! h> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
- N- C) j& K- s9 L$ s! [> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
  K8 x! D, v, S% |7 r>
% I+ W: d0 s; W; P! ^$ O7 F> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) J* j+ P. O; ~" i. }6 L> 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,
- A5 n& ^1 X1 L7 n> much less connect with the ball.
/ G% G7 m' j" H: Y, [: R# L1 m( y> 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
4 S  J1 A1 B* y7 M- T> 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.
>
4 D: T4 a) D9 Z# O# I> 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
$ u* n* V0 x5 l> out and that would have been the end of the game.
' h3 b7 R( I/ Y9 J- z; W>
> 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
7 ]- n( s! L( z: P2 {> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
. @2 @* y) M  \0 z& p7 o; ]> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
( n/ D  A0 [! ?/ }2 X> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
$ R4 f$ t0 Q9 q1 u( m- S9 w> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 r6 Z0 t; M* S& K> 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
& f3 |: e8 M- ?( a: Y: u> 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,
% @! U, A- P6 v3 T+ J> 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.
# n$ q8 E. b$ m6 o>
6 o, w: i" }9 ^0 u8 m1 i4 J> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
1 G3 H# d, N  O5 X$ y& ~" M>
+ S& V0 W6 n+ E7 F; 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
3 E6 X) _  Q$ B> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
( D! d& G* F* T> game for his team.
>
' q5 z6 x" s. a9 R  h> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
- p. L" L" R9 {+ V> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
) t4 v4 n( p$ X; N9 c! s6 X, r5 A> into this world'.
>
( _8 G1 E9 W( b5 E  ]> 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!
0 f4 y" n( Z+ a, E4 a>
> 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.
, ]* m. _7 G" x>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 G8 V5 s4 m& L: v> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
% X2 _, v9 v: D$ W# g2 A> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
' |# Z$ {1 D9 o3 [7 w: N9 }> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
0 Y7 i5 T% z; K. U$ z9 |5 K7 k> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
; a8 S9 e7 O# m# R* W! Q> 2. Forward
>
3 T5 [+ _9 t& O8 P> May your day, be a Shay Day.