Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
3 g/ {. _0 U0 a2 z> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
1 z. o# h$ g3 R! t/ Y5 r& M> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( U9 L0 s. O! k. |9 p, u3 c> same choice?
>
+ @3 n7 A3 d$ K8 m> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
* v: t) V/ p; |) G> 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
4 d$ y* [; x  V+ p> 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
2 m3 Y% \; H; E" ^8 i4 T> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
, t9 ?5 ?( n& E/ k/ U> natural order of things in my son?'
>
$ f1 r% S+ t7 I, T+ }' L" L> The audience was stilled by the query.
3 E+ C+ ]. P3 X: e8 b& u% t( o>
" [# T% }/ J3 U! |/ K2 i0 G6 `7 ?> 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
. X2 A0 u1 E" n. ?: Q% v8 a, T> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
' H5 R5 y1 e& I3 J5 i. f5 ]>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
/ x& x- q! i- p, z8 R7 V+ ~* R> 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,
. X0 v: t& J4 _% f+ J7 S& m2 H> 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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( Z0 K) `7 |% P( E& ]# {! q> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
4 v6 i5 ?3 w2 G% K! z  x> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
: P$ a0 H8 i# b% l3 F4 p> inning.'
>
5 U- [/ D3 ?  T$ @! q6 t> 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
> 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
' v- e+ ~: Y- |' O2 y> 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 M/ y* L1 R% w3 a6 G> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
: j* ~1 `* u7 ?6 r) p) n! x5 R> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
: n: Y1 n, h' `% R1 T- d> 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
> 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.
# S# W; L. V$ U  Z, j" G> 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
1 |2 ^' v6 h  f9 [1 L3 b* l6 R> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
+ c/ C4 j4 Q# N3 @2 n1 R; A> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
! g: u& g6 W0 ?7 j! v2 J> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
! ~/ u) Q6 g$ d> right back to the pitcher.
5 G: r4 A- L+ ~$ E>
* R" m6 ^2 t+ O% Z) O8 B: Z> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& B1 m0 `6 z" o/ 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.
>
: j' A9 C0 [  [* a> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
% l' h& _* d: T5 a0 [# _> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* Y5 a( T2 \2 y6 e% A! ^$ g> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
: y8 N( M* n9 g+ A' d> 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
+ C9 r5 @: W# w1 V2 t; o( L3 D> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 ]1 \# w: X/ Q- I% J4 n% J> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
: R% \0 L, _8 r$ o> 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,
> 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'
>
> 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!
, _8 d$ _& x$ d# p' H> Shay, run to third!'
2 F: A+ H, j; G5 }" c! t+ f>
> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
1 B% X8 s' T" G* y! Y/ {9 Z> 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
( z: z4 x$ v7 }1 E4 O8 [1 Y; i> into this world'.
>
* e6 v" b, U+ {0 \> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: G' J0 x. X1 b+ f* T' r> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
* q; L3 r" r5 n$ h; F> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
* ~+ j: U  N) V7 \2 O* O>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
6 }; q+ d. ?1 Z! [! W1 d( o> 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
- I2 G1 v$ i& j: a> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
: ]$ }$ x; b. L9 M6 G+ A>
" h# Y5 b( ~. Q& b- d" j> 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
4 k  s( C9 R+ Y$ \) ~> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
" c4 T7 }/ M/ T5 ^! ?> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
5 e$ Y& u7 ]/ l* A0 o> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
: l& x0 l% w+ F& C5 u* Z> 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
( O# @5 U0 z9 @/ Z2 p; U! A7 b> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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8 X+ N. s5 k* V* b5 @> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% d, T: e9 \/ P> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
" `7 ]7 s1 h2 y6 V8 a) ^, c6 x> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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: f) C& v( G  m* Q# t> May your day, be a Shay Day.