Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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4 |6 U& ^$ z) @6 v. A2 |6 d> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 X# ?7 B& G* L4 a- _* G> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
& m/ p4 x8 ]8 \5 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
0 U' j) I. f* t> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
5 e2 H. g0 H6 H> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
( A0 S$ F+ d+ j1 W8 e> natural order of things in my son?'
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$ N# E" ^5 S; s& m$ J6 |> The audience was stilled by the query.
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) z& {" ]* t2 _- U$ q7 f' A> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 M) b. c9 ?; t8 t> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
1 n! G; h) t" W> treat that child.'
>
6 `# |9 H, I, w1 Y5 D! J; D5 E3 T> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ g! K7 a9 U# }& i* w4 `/ a2 `" A> 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
> 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
7 R8 K! p# P5 W: ?$ b9 a. _> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
; j2 @( A. ~' h- l& {& n> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
5 [5 b: E9 y  l( X" D> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
" s) B; n7 {# M; s# ^- ^/ m' r8 U> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
5 y( H/ T0 N, \$ U7 j> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
) T% P3 J: [0 o> 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
1 F0 C2 E0 r2 O- q$ B1 {$ @1 ?> 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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. D3 @9 I6 p8 b' p, G' y( d) f> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! M0 c" r" U5 _% I7 Z% K  [> 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,
> 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
0 @" m6 k  ?' }! _' n+ z> 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
8 O5 P' I6 m1 L  _# E' i# J0 T6 E> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
, Z3 }2 r) A* T2 I2 a> 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
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
1 c) s. V, P: c' g; d% C> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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,
$ V% I. u7 |  e6 w3 Y; b( w> 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
> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
: @! v* ?8 z! U& l5 Y# H> 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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$ X3 I2 F/ ]. u! W. j" C: V: e4 Q> 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
$ X  A  J/ t. a8 ~1 z> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
! J& v/ V. d- t4 ]) ?> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
& L6 F! q# u/ y& b& X4 s> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
) [0 q; Y0 ^; G> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
6 \4 |) N# e' l: z, G$ \> game for his team.
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+ ]0 A1 d  d: f- b> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
, U6 H8 g2 o* c> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
* k9 D0 Z' Y7 a> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
8 a7 n7 b7 W# a4 y9 n> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
3 i  \8 j( W, v/ O* E- W> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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8 ^- b7 B9 c- P5 ~> 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
6 x$ _% |0 W/ c3 r9 B> 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.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
* w% m' X- A6 ?> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
9 `2 h2 w* m: _% Z) C> '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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
3 b, `& E. _) W> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
/ v5 N0 F( W" V  }: l> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
4 C5 @$ ?4 K+ Z" i5 G) u/ t9 P3 T) s> bit colder in the process?
>
8 y' ]6 a1 t) _* b> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- y- L! D6 q$ ?% Z6 z& L> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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7 z  ^3 r% D$ C6 u> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.