Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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/ q* l8 V$ w$ ?/ S7 ~' ~- Y. ^3 R> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
$ X. u6 r/ V/ B0 f$ o; Z> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
- n; L& M; _5 w) {; P* H> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
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; q- ?% m; W0 K> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* g7 K) a( E: p) u> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
/ E1 u$ i2 O1 V5 _> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
; X0 H, c# ~; J) N( H9 e> natural order of things in my son?'
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. O/ \! b' s  G# z/ `> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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
> treat that child.'
>
. Z9 r% n4 `# H$ l9 i6 C> Then he told the following story:
>
0 |5 r+ z$ S$ C" b5 x  E> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
2 U2 K7 s! o0 f* |' D& {> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
& X+ R& m4 j! Z> 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,
% @% t2 b' m) A& g: O0 g0 n/ ~> 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
/ s8 C6 T2 r: t1 I4 P( b1 e$ \> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
0 V! T5 w+ j7 a& g. u: Z> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
. D) T) u: J: z2 ~> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
3 g0 R* d9 _; ^6 X8 t( S> 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
/ T  J+ o, V1 ^  i6 v> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
6 q: ?  E8 [5 k* q> 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
( y$ s# u3 s$ m> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
* B1 i5 V6 p2 P> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
* i3 W" ], `: G+ Q> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
- S3 `( U% A# H; j> 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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> 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
. z8 ]& o) u( c> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
2 H8 q; N; ~( [3 t5 q/ h% ~> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 u* p$ I- k; T* [1 _. }> 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
% ^& A6 Z+ d. a& F& g& b> 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.
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> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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1 a* N+ X* l  K3 x  n. R: C> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
5 i" H6 K' S1 _9 X> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
! S' k1 l/ U( v3 Q) c> 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,
7 }! }$ |+ W: }5 b> wide-eyed and startled.
>
# W2 O  p! Y  ]- v  l  |3 s> 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,
5 R; g8 o) J. h* [) e9 v> 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'
>
$ C1 T9 v/ m4 Z4 i> 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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% n9 }0 k, Q( [- N2 d2 d1 t> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 Z+ L8 x& {9 r6 a" K' r, W7 H> 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.
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> '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
/ d" v  ?6 h; K* s> into this world'.
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* M. ^5 m& a+ B  z% X/ L8 Y+ G> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
# c( p8 p- e% ?7 d# L# u- [- K> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
( H8 c: `3 }. W  {> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
1 A* k2 Z4 Z" ~& M' n% a8 R0 W> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
6 `" W( W" n( y0 r4 i1 u% G> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
* X/ H; U, x" _3 `, h> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 _2 f7 g# y1 m9 `% N. \> 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
9 [6 D. G9 p0 @$ G: R8 y. i> 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
  W2 Y3 u- T5 k$ p0 {> 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
& j3 U% H4 d5 K% b& m& p4 @> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
' z( l& {! L, ~# _6 w> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
8 N, ~7 _0 d  W0 P9 N  `> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
0 _( u& `. E0 c3 m* {8 E9 a7 k> You now have two choices:
9 G6 T: N4 |+ e% n0 \" T5 u4 @' h% F# y8 I; I> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
, ^/ b; S; \5 W, N! b/ l> May your day, be a Shay Day.