Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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/ B2 J/ A' \7 u+ A+ A> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 l( q4 g7 R- E+ I: Q> 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,
> 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:
>
- Z: b( }7 p+ ^' p3 Q- W1 Y. X# W1 ~> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 c' x6 \9 V  F3 e  q. N> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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8 l& m& E( Q+ Z- h8 H% f> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
- l+ Q: c) t% E6 r  A2 P. j8 x> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
; A9 _- L/ S$ j; x3 d# X) R! u> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
+ K6 {1 F1 U9 U* f9 P- S, j, [> 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,
" d6 \( |$ w7 l4 n! d6 v. L. |  {8 V> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
* }* }0 i$ h- U0 ^2 W. L> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
% p1 y) A0 e% v) e> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ ]! a1 g5 I% b' {# u4 a> 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
/ t' S9 C$ i! j- u> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 r6 ~& d- f7 V# h1 ?8 R> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
. x8 Q7 |  a8 ]' _0 J! @> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
0 j& a; U$ {' x5 j6 B) E+ B> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
+ `, g0 k7 C- d" 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
2 S' Q' `: \5 H> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
* s- n) A* {6 p; U, i" F> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
0 [; m# ?+ v; u/ h9 v4 N> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
, ^5 I1 ]6 [, S- {) U4 J# o8 o3 E> 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,
& o3 n: S& V, y1 Z8 M> much less connect with the ball.
+ Y$ ?' M4 y& [, J: V" D+ c> 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
2 E! S7 g- J8 ^  R  n4 m> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
7 E$ O  X! I# @) h# U> 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
3 x. u% C3 X( q. H# C> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
) H1 c" u3 }* C1 B2 Z  D: M/ Y> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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( x% u2 r, o9 }1 G" w> 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
( w  I, ~! F1 }> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
. X9 y* F% @( {8 d* h> 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
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 L* A! K4 C& Z1 K0 }, N, M; e4 I> 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
6 f; l8 c- }7 r7 X> 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,
/ D3 p9 m' W+ ]8 c0 u$ W7 y0 {> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
# h. p; Q2 n/ n2 V$ I5 y  R> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
+ d; ?' D) B' W( Y* D& {1 a( t: J> circled the bases toward home.
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, `0 M4 C  E/ F6 ]  I> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
& y  w4 Q$ Y* M, b9 m0 H9 U> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
+ }: g: e0 z/ b3 T8 r> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
6 \) p* g* O$ w- c& t> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
* B1 {# a% J+ W9 L; c/ q0 ^> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
* q1 V6 c  L3 K& D+ B> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
5 |& e6 [; K+ Y5 i0 L7 R* U! U> into this world'.
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" |* W9 s% O1 n. r> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) }" W/ ?. {6 \> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
1 R1 e* Y$ O8 o2 s9 `> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- a7 a5 O0 t6 q. K4 N2 B  k> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' u" ~, ~/ \/ `! f8 I* M; z6 I> 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
0 v9 o" P  {3 ?> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
4 o' b8 ^& Z& H3 L8 U  Q> 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.
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> You now have two choices:
. B; y: E0 [( f% F; A9 a> 1. Delete
6 M) P# [0 p8 i> 2. Forward
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  H# O5 S3 N: `> May your day, be a Shay Day.