Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
7 q' |" {" ~7 F4 }/ C/ n" H# z>
' n9 H3 U9 w! R' e> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ X3 M3 {/ O, l2 C4 V7 T> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
4 }( _) j( x* ]# Z> same choice?
+ N& H* g7 g+ H6 R>
" Z/ B- q' n* T- P> 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
2 j1 T) _# A. A8 s) B% m9 Z! u> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
/ M2 _0 T: d. F% 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
) B5 z& E+ X- _4 U> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
9 ~1 Z# y0 r0 Q. b8 c( A$ N6 W  h; \) R> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
) |1 x( t( x9 ^> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
! ]$ M0 r* S" X& W" ?) O) e> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
) {6 Z" _' V9 h% T  I> 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
6 E9 e5 J# Z! s: _* n> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
" c- d5 Y8 X, H3 L5 l! n>
. s0 a5 {' H4 M( u& u2 T> 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
2 C3 ~) w/ G4 u- _$ R> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
1 S3 j5 w' ]- B2 O> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
4 i3 k9 {+ E2 K> 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
0 Y! B" U/ X% z6 [, H> 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
7 j6 [/ x$ M3 ^/ R- h' ]> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
* f- Y! r% s3 x> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
0 H/ @1 y" b4 X+ K$ T> 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.
>
0 H0 f, @8 l$ P9 B3 |; w) Z> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
2 J: d# e' u7 m' {! y9 ~> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
* t) A9 r- S. @+ F2 y9 y$ q> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 Z( @/ H- a4 B> 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
8 F3 b  E  C* e3 s> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
$ W, d% x( B" m  a8 g8 x> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
* B; n; y! P8 [! J; 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.
0 g. T* ?# }7 o8 S) g- ^) `/ m>
9 b4 m# ~7 M$ D0 h/ ~( e% [> 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
9 J4 S" p5 k7 G, l0 A3 s> 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
3 s* l! a7 p" u9 q1 n> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
" P- \' j: E! V> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
: e, ~2 M8 i( A9 m> 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
: ]; Q: p' _9 B> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
5 N# M% p7 G+ N4 X- S' A> circled the bases toward home.
>
/ s6 [* @" X+ U! t( h8 X> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
* [0 y, U2 H, z7 a  v> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
. `4 F8 S! v) }  m, c> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
  f9 S, r$ {  u7 k1 U> Shay, run to third!'
* D' Y1 O" A( Y>
$ G% n, E# ?5 p6 E' f7 A> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
' A* N  R# U$ ^2 n> 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,
4 j, n# j. E8 y+ Y% f7 |> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
. z& s- E/ x4 W1 O> 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
0 F1 [3 @; @) z3 g7 L> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
4 e6 W$ ~( o' S>
: B' n' J9 G% y, a. \2 L+ k> 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
! x2 ~" E4 A/ {" }9 I, s+ N  m- B> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
: q* c/ r' u" k/ V/ v>
: h. r4 ~+ ~* S$ Q5 c> 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
> '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
8 M0 J+ f% d- }- h> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 A! J+ {7 i! Y7 b& K! h" q> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
# x) E7 k& Q& x. P1 [> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
/ k1 e: U& l" A3 w$ R> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 r! R6 L/ s, x) N9 L0 X& x# R. O. A> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
& {2 i) _! X8 v4 n( V+ a0 Y>
1 S  x/ a: t0 N& @> You now have two choices:
. O% @6 g8 X7 y% y> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
$ n& X5 e  b5 q& f- [% S>
0 L$ Z2 Q7 k6 B3 ^; F4 y6 E) O' r> May your day, be a Shay Day.