Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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4 A' g) H  M6 w" ~4 w: o* L. A> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 G2 z4 k: |7 }* n& g> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
1 E3 w6 S! Q! s. }6 d> same choice?
>
8 H) ~  ?& j5 J- j; c> 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
& }/ L9 e1 ^. K1 x! m5 i. w> staff, he offered a question:
>
! @: `6 @) k% V9 [> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- v( s' A/ m" K6 l7 o# ^& N> 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
  {7 U" ^! ?& f; f> natural order of things in my son?'
>
/ b) n; v8 r2 h: @+ N> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
. B' Z! `; s9 g5 \3 Z. w% F> 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
0 z+ [! g' y; |& w* z" F9 W> treat that child.'
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7 b/ N1 {- R( l- n( f4 J5 n& d5 E# z> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# Y' W8 R9 J8 j5 g) k0 |. p' @> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
6 D5 f8 ^8 `$ Q* G) C1 r2 k> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
6 U/ O1 {# ~5 K; I- F) f> 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.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 u7 Z+ \1 Q$ w- T* u> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
2 ]* w  q/ _8 P! ]/ C0 v8 z# S) ?> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
* ?8 h) \% q$ E1 o2 F8 ~> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
+ V3 K& w3 p6 i" O+ i: c- ^> inning.'
>
> 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
9 w+ m9 T9 K. g" C> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
2 v& h/ q3 f. k, U> 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
( Z2 P( {0 ^. z# R) B9 P. K# D> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
# G6 s0 e  r7 L9 p3 t> 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
2 f2 r. p& {& J; O7 x> next at bat.
>
> 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,
" F! L( Q9 q+ k: {> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ r$ F6 C2 h, ]  ~5 U> 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
) O8 O# k7 D( g; u, K> 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.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
, M: H3 |# L% I( g/ s" x* L, 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
: m( K+ X' T6 h5 u. ]9 h9 ?> 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.
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8 @9 X2 R8 r2 k1 c> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
; Y, M- I( c, k4 {# M> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 N( s, I3 ]& A, X4 M> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
9 o( X3 L8 E! N> 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.
>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
0 |& J" y7 ?+ G8 D- k: \# v> 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.
>
> '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'.
>
6 Q& w+ ^4 \- }4 K' A" a> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
$ J. C0 V/ H: q: x5 p> 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!
>
; u  [. V: Q7 o" C6 g1 g0 q; O+ W> 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.
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> 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 J" G- S6 x" ]$ B: q. Z> '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
& x* P+ h5 \" y; o8 Q> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
( H4 M# ^; Y) D0 i* _/ c> 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
6 a1 D2 K: M  F( ^' a) T> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
/ M" z- D7 g1 s, Q7 t  q/ n# Z> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.