Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
5 r3 d0 u$ n, U7 |3 S. N: @> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
# \# f3 B; J% t9 a& s" C> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 i" s5 M% o2 S% x> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
1 K* g9 C7 P1 x8 Y% a> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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. M% A2 i; e2 F! U  \4 s> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
& V" x! s5 C4 e7 S7 K& V& u> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
5 n+ Y. g: z" J3 t6 E/ J> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
* H2 v+ ^$ Y3 X% I2 C( R> natural order of things in my son?'
8 e! `/ k" v9 j+ b/ O/ i>
/ a: P/ S, ?; T! Q0 ^* W> 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
' p7 |, v$ E3 Q- Y; U> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
0 |5 F7 n1 @0 S) M: b% h4 u> treat that child.'
" s$ w. l1 s$ C2 ]; \>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
, X0 D& V* h, \& G> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
. v& y% j9 _; |+ u3 q> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
) q& `/ ~9 ^; R* j+ O, u. g- K> 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
+ g9 S% p" a* P+ M' X+ ~  Z> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
% H4 i( _0 n& k> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
4 A8 v7 A9 t+ S8 C' f> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
9 ?- o  ^' E4 o) w> inning.'
>
. T  m" R3 [* y- b> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 n- Z: Y- a0 l- @( Y  s0 g; {> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
+ W2 d( B4 q: d, Q! o; _  {> 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
6 f5 b% b  c" J$ ~> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
4 U: X8 o* x5 |) Q7 P& s! I' x> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
9 ~/ E1 W: ^; y- Z7 Q> 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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4 z: g. l, [: k6 K7 Y1 X> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  ?2 L- |; F0 H> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
) @/ P8 k8 z, h> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
  M% t! A; P6 W8 T> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
$ f) x, E3 s. G> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
% x! u8 a" e$ j' B& _> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
4 l' H( p+ q+ H, d9 W/ v1 {> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' P6 U( j( h, N! z+ D+ r> right back to the pitcher.
8 b5 ~$ s) z' y- S2 q>
> 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
: ~7 Y) j* y4 W0 m1 P, ]' \> 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
3 l5 ^. H7 C  _. N1 B> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; P* @/ S) d/ s$ Y7 n> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
. D7 M* @; T+ h: T5 I& s> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
# S2 P% [8 f# w+ b  J, 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
: z* P* |$ ~9 f. Y" w) o> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
- Y; l/ {6 B6 n> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
* L$ k, {- `$ r> 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!
6 q- I: D& D* r" D> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 g8 V& O* X4 g> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
/ b% N; s6 [& {, c/ d> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
" p8 S* G0 h4 m& `8 h> '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'.
>
. k0 C/ x' ~0 E8 Z0 ?  \0 n2 s> 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!
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, x8 j5 @( _" Q$ d> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
- y, n5 K( D* }> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
! h9 @3 Y& I+ c> 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
4 a, T6 G9 P0 p8 j> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
6 W* o+ T/ D4 e> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
1 |3 x7 \0 f* P5 z0 q> 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
/ z$ y$ z3 I6 [9 @1 N; ?! W> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
5 e8 G8 i2 a& W, |$ g>
1 G) i0 J8 L, T1 D5 t> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
8 H7 W1 l+ N9 H+ V* H7 v>
5 E" _. f; b4 p) Y& i> You now have two choices:
4 B: H4 `- K" c, L/ j> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.