Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
4 R2 q1 g" x( F' i9 `>
8 h/ X# t4 t  o4 g' z- _' Z> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. i. `6 u8 _8 d4 T2 |7 E> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
# S; `1 C# k. d/ C& h7 E6 }>
/ U" \# J, J$ W8 g$ F6 U% P- w* g> 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
% M5 n$ m- `/ h6 l9 @0 U# _0 L> 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
& J' T; u3 Z: |: m9 @( \> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
- B! t" D6 |7 O0 ~! E. q+ W+ _> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
1 f6 U  S( a9 D  i0 v( K* b> treat that child.'
>
3 w/ u% ]' F, k# ~7 V2 I( u> Then he told the following story:
7 ?) E0 ?1 u& o4 Q: u# O- {>
$ v* p  ?; o3 L$ m3 N0 D> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
& `- M9 h$ {* z. \% Y2 H. Q4 H> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 }* m& Q+ {$ J& ?4 U- Y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
' p  e2 m6 h: e; s' G; u> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
1 n' h, W, e, m4 E: ^: ^; D>
6 i4 [. X4 M2 z: \# M& k2 Q; V> 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
' a" E% |/ v0 u9 U7 N> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
' e$ r- G$ E" D7 N1 b* d. Q- O0 B>
> 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
5 N6 c8 B: x! H" X3 E> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
: I4 l% [# N$ f9 N> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
) ^* g- U" D/ b> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> 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.
>
, Y7 [0 f6 U4 r9 m/ V4 ]4 H3 `> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
5 Y  C, l* T) n- r> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
6 Y; Q1 a( N" L> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
, ]  p8 p2 ?* ]2 q> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ d2 H# D9 V4 @. W# v) G( H> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
( O- [! q* D3 ?/ F0 `$ A> 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
6 ^+ n8 l- i' y4 x! _$ T9 D1 s> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
4 Z; ^0 `$ n/ i) h! j1 |> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
0 P$ s; I6 j0 e: P> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 \1 z; \# O. A) B> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
- U$ x% i2 o" o3 y6 [# L> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
7 A  R: f+ ^! U! p> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
! I" D! p3 t/ U* K' W  O6 p> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
7 M& }. i7 o+ Z1 K/ w& q> 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,
2 h2 O' f. W; ?+ _2 j; M% K8 {  p> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
. b& l4 ^3 u; ~$ @4 g> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
/ Q- |! a8 ], ?# U  k; p7 O> 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
9 S; a+ q( [$ e1 L9 x" G> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
8 {6 a7 G% m% y> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
" S; L) U1 z: M/ I" T> 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
' `" Q8 J; E/ |) h> circled the bases toward home.
$ O% W% v- z8 z0 ^3 ^. X- l" p>
% K, b" \# s5 o> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
* {' _* K' _6 J' T5 P>
, b" H* H* G+ L# l  G% n% H> 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!
1 d, w! Z. d7 M) \> Shay, run to third!'
>
" K. t0 \9 Y1 u0 s7 l$ I> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 g4 V. `1 {: I/ K% 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.
>
  q9 Z6 |$ P! F> '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
" l- _( ]) s8 P, C, h2 n> into this world'.
4 B" \& K$ [( k  r# ~>
! R9 O6 |( c& h; g2 e> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
; W5 B% g: ]; G) z9 ]6 b/ a& }" i> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
' r1 }5 ?$ N+ z4 a! l. w> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
9 f) U! j, G7 u> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
9 B; n3 p& Z0 ]5 |; A8 p( V) j0 n2 y> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
# c2 h# N4 k% N- Q$ z6 x> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
* v/ ^$ C+ [. j( O> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
/ h7 u; w# W+ x* G0 {1 C>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' j$ Y3 g5 }. n4 y6 o  H> 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
; d8 o- g& Z/ V7 R> 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
0 [4 V0 g: a. O* j> 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
$ v0 P! \# \3 X9 V> 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:
: d3 q7 l: D% f0 r3 ~> 1. Delete
( g* i2 B& J9 o0 `% C7 y$ t  ]> 2. Forward
>
7 z  p+ A6 c; q# _7 P, `> May your day, be a Shay Day.