Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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) I$ |  n. k5 \/ W; J7 n> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
4 I" ?, R; \5 w4 B: o. g> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> 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
. }1 W: Z# m, w* l  \1 M6 @& N> 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
; n# K, X8 \+ _" e# ?3 }> 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
& _: X2 [0 E# n# w+ w+ M& }> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> 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
1 q0 B7 m/ A3 O+ U. G( K! D> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ C' x. C* ?- B5 d$ m> treat that child.'
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, o& v0 R+ |* {7 t> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
, B) D( ^  U$ o0 g1 i> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
- m: L0 t' i7 p7 L> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
% k  J) D# ]; B4 J3 N, _> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
& V  j6 t- {2 h, P1 P% y% b$ A$ ?> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
/ @5 d' t+ ~" t% [* e> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
, @7 Q' T/ g& t2 i4 V8 M> 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
> 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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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
" e0 }7 c0 o9 \5 M( k> 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
; \$ w4 J* o& I  U2 y' N# o3 _> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, n6 k" ~1 H& {3 i& R# P> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
: ?2 d3 M" Q8 v4 ~6 J8 Z2 Z> 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
> 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
4 [' R3 L) l; f, f  h  I> next at bat.
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0 x! [( n  q$ t3 l> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
: M: a" U8 r; z  t7 i5 c3 K5 G> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
4 E+ v+ {6 l$ Z7 J5 P2 i- c5 v> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
& J8 F7 u4 \2 Z* Q" f- C$ }) c2 @* H> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
  R' S% s  U$ u% Q+ \% X> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
  a" s/ w! {: M# C! c8 Z> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
5 I; B* X3 ?9 R. Q' l/ ~> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
( U9 f; P( K4 [  m> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( u/ A1 i) G* A* \7 t$ f> 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
; `1 E9 q- B! \5 L- d> 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 k. W8 j$ E5 b> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
1 V$ H* x4 S7 o5 {3 E6 P% w9 S- H1 v> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
3 B/ }; G; t: w4 {: q' O+ W# h8 Q> 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
+ V$ x  R( ?6 y" V1 b> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
, z% c3 u! }" H; O* U/ `! J. r9 P$ b> 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
0 r' F- y, J# C" C> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
" b  M% J' Z; b7 m5 W> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
$ q/ I5 ~* Z1 ^1 M+ H> 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
2 s) T( F) A5 g/ l6 z6 J4 z9 J> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
0 L$ V7 O, z0 ]> game for his team.
>
2 j4 p! s9 E( G7 X- s1 Z> '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'.
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' H% ^/ H& ]5 i6 W& {> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 {9 d4 c+ G% A: u6 @  R> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
, l4 \  I( `. C8 `- ?. Z> 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
8 ?$ {: y3 J3 b3 @> 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
" `% M. }  u1 W. Y. P$ x> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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, h1 w# C3 s) p  F% w> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 b& J+ k  h0 M) {) ]> 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 J' p# Z7 ?$ c. ^+ 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
) A5 h# t0 b* s" Q> 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
  @4 h5 ~& @" q7 C8 m& M2 u8 M2 {> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
8 ]4 Y' ^# g2 [> You now have two choices:
( W' {0 _' M/ Y$ {4 Y/ D# L5 H> 1. Delete
2 `, f, @1 ]" A6 V> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.