Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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" @7 {0 i9 g; H3 ~$ ?, \> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
- ?9 s1 d1 I: t. Y& q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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- A; ^( C7 R! {/ ?  H. F: ^- 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
6 J; f- A% {2 X4 n3 L" \) 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
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
9 ?$ I  V8 r- i2 x% ~8 l> natural order of things in my son?'
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+ z/ g5 |. z( s8 S( L% @5 x2 M> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
9 `) Y7 H" _! v7 F* o8 w& `+ J> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 R, I3 A: _3 o! _1 R/ |> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
; d5 _* u- _2 I$ a: _+ W- ]> Then he told the following story:
>
" H- _7 }/ m# m> 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
7 F  k2 F8 F2 d0 q. v# l> 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.
>
3 y/ n+ o' |9 Z> 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
6 H" Y" T# |$ T! e> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
0 M2 r! J) u: F  p6 x> inning.'
>
1 V/ g5 F; X( o# X> 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
. U$ v. J: |$ s% U+ h+ g> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 V4 S/ l; i0 h1 |5 b) R> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% V& J; w% n6 v. c4 [. s> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
7 b7 b% ~& J2 E> 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
5 V6 o0 P* J" |> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
0 U2 @) w$ s0 W8 k, w& C> 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,
5 h7 k/ }5 J: B: S; n> much less connect with the ball.
& C- C5 i3 n/ l) G> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 L& K+ _4 B  e8 U+ |+ m6 t> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
: B- M/ F  V0 ?+ ?> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
4 R2 i/ s* W0 t# w' k> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
0 P$ w6 b9 U0 M. `> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
! {' L, g: I2 ?  W> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
& d( t0 K/ H) H> right back to the pitcher.
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* ~& L8 z4 C1 J> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
  r8 p- L6 Y' 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.
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" U  H3 x$ V: A: `( m0 ~> 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
7 |, f8 I0 }3 p4 @5 r> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
# Z% g8 h# o" g) B5 q, }> 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
  P! @1 F0 ?' ?> 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
  R! P* n- G& F> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
; J4 w. M, `# \3 l4 C( r> 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,
/ y$ X8 S8 D5 O) ?8 h' b> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
- y- ?* I! S5 X$ C" D> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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  a4 b5 Q+ q( q% J3 _' n9 ?> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
1 c  Y8 Y+ @/ s, D& I* h> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
* s% D: y2 i& W. M+ _+ K> Shay, run to third!'
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7 I, ]; r$ _( J5 @> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
' Q, [* [' z" d/ X1 W> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
0 K% R( |2 V3 N7 @> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" q+ X0 {. M  u% L$ d. w, D% x> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
2 `$ y& E$ K% J9 h1 S5 ?! Y2 s6 M> into this world'.
>
$ d: O& d" [0 r( R( z> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
/ r0 a- ]. ?9 o' Q> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
' c. |( H5 Z3 `% e6 u' [> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
7 f- d9 t# Y  Z& E$ a> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 P4 S. m( N4 V+ Y9 l% D) t# W( G> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
/ {) G8 J! K9 O> 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
> 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
> 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
# ]( w4 Q0 k5 P1 l6 x7 {> bit colder in the process?
>
3 d' V9 r. M3 u3 u8 ?> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
  i+ }$ j- C; Z+ [, S5 R# \> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 ?- y" m' R/ ~/ F> 2. Forward
>
6 u9 j- F5 |& s0 x> May your day, be a Shay Day.