Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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( m/ v/ j' ?/ ^3 l" z/ F" P> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, j* ?; f4 o, B> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
2 c$ D& {( |; t( R: G' |. M> same choice?
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/ m* ]8 M9 {5 K& J) b1 M> 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
4 l4 N+ m3 Z1 S, F> staff, he offered a question:
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0 \0 I; C! i1 Y3 K- h$ _) b9 @> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
+ W; D2 [4 z# ?1 W> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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1 c6 b# c  U! W2 Y8 u) v& x> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
- J1 B8 X) `+ l* X1 n' a' ^% `> 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.'
>
> 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
5 L- j+ W4 k) Q* l> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
* n. O- s1 a$ n7 R. i( c> 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
, q- ^* a4 ]9 c( M. q% n> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- F  ^% g; ~+ Z! [8 P- u0 b> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
4 e; f8 g# w5 e% L& o> 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
+ S* H1 ^0 _8 S7 d: N4 ~7 d" c( F) `/ i> inning.'
>
; ~2 W+ v9 B5 l4 x3 u: j. k5 d> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
+ Y8 n! |8 [4 `6 M> 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
6 H3 d  m. K' L  H> 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
/ v" [( S) n  s- R: i/ V! I; ^> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
$ V2 d9 f* B; T" `# L> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
2 ~9 f' u. ]6 a> next at bat.
>
3 b/ d' a1 x$ n. y" x" v5 i; F> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) O8 ]: q' A, ], d) o> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
4 d6 k& ~, R% F6 C> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 `% X& }: r/ t6 a) r> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 M/ }( f' b) u6 ~> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
, c3 P- Q9 }6 p8 p> 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
1 X$ _+ `' j" S; v" z  P8 V( R, U7 z! U> 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
+ @% x  _; j) T" |6 y) g- i> right back to the pitcher.
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5 I0 T9 W' f; i1 Y5 V( M- O9 e> 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
+ ^( q/ y7 @4 {3 {$ Z' a* `> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
4 m- n* B* G8 X4 v1 T7 x! E> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 j2 p) T5 s  |. G> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
6 w6 x9 |. L+ ~> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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7 e  b! ?7 H$ K> 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
7 l( e3 l5 E# c4 M8 f, x+ ?- o, q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
! ?; z! U6 |9 t0 V0 ?  r> Shay, run to third!'
>
; k" z& m9 F5 u7 L$ b' G> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
) |# e5 d2 f- ^& F! B> 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.
>
2 V# ]" r: G# a6 c2 `> '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
+ |, m* L: ~! x4 [! W> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' z, p- F2 J) V7 E+ c( t; e7 O> 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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> 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 T# m* }5 n0 D6 c> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
) Y1 \: D7 F: k  v> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
7 N* D. X$ S! ^1 E6 k0 Y> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
/ W' q6 }( S" `5 _" F6 F> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
' I7 O7 s( _7 g5 N( r> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
. }% `3 I9 o: S9 w4 S0 K& f> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
' k( c. T/ C9 q) N0 F8 P> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, w- N* q- d, ?# Z$ m% P> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
' X' G: j: ]4 x% X3 V8 v0 j# `4 z> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
& z& m! Q3 W9 ^1 D9 h> May your day, be a Shay Day.