Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
, P! ^5 {- \  ^) [4 E>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> 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,
( c* e9 M  O$ P9 G+ J3 z: Y  ^! ^> 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
, l* N- ]2 u4 s> staff, he offered a question:
* d. C# R, Z* n- e3 A2 m  B) {0 k>
> '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
7 r  h8 K6 {2 A7 l> natural order of things in my son?'
' I/ d, l3 L( E' @>
* m0 e+ B. ]" z  h# j- d7 r) x) o> The audience was stilled by the query.
8 }! v. a9 d4 Z; B6 [5 {* ^# r1 q>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* x9 C+ |) O0 w  @: B% P> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' e' x" K: V5 y( R8 K> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
4 S4 ]2 e$ v. e; F$ s8 Q' V3 Z>
4 t' E7 e! L" S6 ^6 Y4 Q> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
& z% r7 w3 Z( B4 X> 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,
2 R! o& j5 u) D$ i1 f8 C$ y7 w3 [" \> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
" F/ U& A8 e7 l) m* z1 c, K>
( R/ C; L4 `) {5 S> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' ^+ B0 s* }0 J! z% ?0 u$ H> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
7 h# m. F, |4 h> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
, `6 ~9 U3 e: f% ]6 A. N> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
  U8 Z. j: b. @9 R- }> inning.'
>
. M0 r8 M/ K' @( D3 s> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
2 T  L! `+ O, w> 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
# H* K$ j! P& e/ X> 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
( r- c( a. r8 o- D% p7 \0 [> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
0 |) h9 y. U, b> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
) {, r1 M5 N8 `$ T. ?  o; P> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
5 x  J$ n3 }4 f- \9 E> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
" T( p2 |/ g7 f5 u- Q0 A> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
  w4 U/ ~8 T) q) N> 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
> 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
. b4 n. M( q/ ?4 H! ^' ]  p' Y# J> 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
+ b, s' ?2 T' _* Q3 B. O# ?" x> right back to the pitcher.
9 ~: g. h0 a* P( E>
& r* ^' u, y7 h; m2 c> 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
( D7 I" A  f' h1 }) t> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
9 C$ c4 V' m% b# F> 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
. x) k4 u: C2 i6 @- P( a3 u; U$ \+ O> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
5 i" k$ }! e" ~: Z- V> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
/ ~" N/ s+ Y/ \1 r  u: G>
> 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
! ^9 m! k5 g% L> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
# w% V. h# U7 j% F5 ~7 }> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
+ a$ I5 d* j8 k# b0 v8 f> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
5 G7 b3 @( h. Y0 D+ }7 w> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
+ [4 t% T4 D. ^9 Q6 n0 L> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
- P% l3 j4 C: u3 m& q> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
5 `1 j& B+ T) K  y3 a8 U4 q' z- ^3 Y>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
% W. j8 b) k# O. Y% ^# d> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
* a6 `, O- U) M5 b, d> game for his team.
* J0 r: A; p, J' ~2 E* u% K>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 R3 k+ B4 g& ]> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
/ L$ P5 X  p2 c9 ?. ~/ J0 Y3 a$ _6 ]>
/ Y6 v* v) u. _8 ^& y> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 |. L$ ]+ y* s) y> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
7 M. p2 e% U* ~+ e: m0 ^> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
8 C9 P5 Z9 ]; c> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* g+ N" @2 V# ~) F1 i  x, a> 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
) E' L. O; h  D; W; R& Q% G> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
" n- R# {: u) ~8 M0 i! Y> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 h4 {& h4 S3 [+ Q/ d1 L> 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
: ~  B1 d3 r8 X8 n5 \7 k> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
) D& U; @( [* V! I( T. b" [> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
0 K5 i' F- b( x, ]& J> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
( e+ ~3 K# d* {/ B3 \( J, [% N> 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
" u( U* G" o3 W5 [2 P> 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:
: z1 Z) X" A( B1 b, v2 z> 1. Delete
9 g/ x2 N/ @1 Q+ q2 ^> 2. Forward
! a& J7 v$ X/ V  C5 s7 X2 g>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.