Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
; R, g$ G1 H4 h. g>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
. x. A, Q9 w0 k9 h: b> same choice?
>
8 Y$ G6 J. l: z9 a. c! F0 E> 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 W! m2 n0 d) E9 \> staff, he offered a question:
4 @, R8 _! G* g1 e5 a. d! l8 Y5 ?>
> '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
, M7 l3 |# E' d# \5 W' @; t> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
! D$ z' @5 U& Z8 @>
* L% i% u- h0 U2 h> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
& r. d( h' p6 t> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
( q. n$ K; p* e# c/ {. f( j> treat that child.'
# x# |) L* R) K# `  c" v; I3 q>
> Then he told the following story:
9 {9 w) G# Q5 i* o7 e5 I" n>
# V, T0 ^- m3 L* 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
> 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.
>
+ f3 X4 a$ S, n9 ~% g8 [7 M> 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
' N* L; @, x( a& [* h  B- p> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
5 o' a& B7 s5 p. {> inning.'
2 X! n8 A% n( u>
> 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
7 b, u5 d1 `# M8 C1 D% U> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
# c3 X4 g5 ~) g# H) U$ w> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
: U/ ~0 k! \& V# c, k0 l0 H> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, c! j0 e" M2 }1 Y0 g# x' K> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
+ g! w& N2 A; Q& V. A% 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
# G# A& Q) J" X5 H# [> next at bat.
>
. b1 L4 d1 l9 t) V6 q* h  E> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 B. j" p: v' d  h1 F* J> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
1 l7 Q4 {/ r1 C/ P> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
6 U, R/ s5 f* d5 g> much less connect with the ball.
" p! h5 W$ `% V, ]* p% w> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, f$ ~" s5 C+ M6 `0 M) F> 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 u( y* q1 M9 m( N. ^> 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
  l2 b3 J/ _) N  N$ h> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
5 U8 b$ L& L  j, x+ E" g& h> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
' K# E- I, j* F8 v  u. [> 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,
# Z0 h' x) Z  h! E> wide-eyed and startled.
>
4 O( B+ B) k9 P> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
3 g1 K* ~& y; b4 Q+ a, l1 B- r% 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
6 {# H* k8 ~# c; b> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
+ {& t, i; ~- b# M9 ~. J> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
) K; g3 A( H* s( p. O' T1 z) W> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
4 e  b7 m( Q8 V4 y; Q> circled the bases toward home.
* g2 l  n# h- j7 P>
5 X$ }& _, ^+ S$ r/ u0 t) }8 U> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
3 ~4 K: p) y5 E; E>
: G6 Q9 ^( s2 B% I; M. r: F> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
/ Q  a  [7 B2 G$ x: \# V> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
( ~" c( S2 y3 j> 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
" C  ?) C  `) F0 y; h- g> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
: H+ T$ g7 H) {" z> game for his team.
>
> '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
> into this world'.
0 j' d) z& {% a) o/ D  T>
( C9 J; m3 G8 u/ n, C; [> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
0 Q8 j8 u8 }# o% Q> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
& W& v* L8 }: \> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
: H- w# y2 h" C* g3 l# H> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
# F, @% G3 G. M3 y/ {/ }>
1 g$ R& n4 t. h# C, T9 o> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 J3 G- F" {, {  _  f> 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
; o& C. w6 e1 ^' V1 w. E. N> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 F& z2 y# y* V0 @! n> 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
0 z/ x9 I4 U' J$ X> bit colder in the process?
>
8 T, e4 H9 `/ D" S$ e5 ^2 R- B! u> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
2 O! l7 ]0 G7 b" {" ~+ W>
' p2 }' t0 r# a# {1 R2 ?, N> You now have two choices:
4 a9 |) d$ b0 v! }. C* @! V3 x3 v> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
: _5 g5 c8 P+ x* b/ l>
- [7 r/ c1 q" e$ J! V> May your day, be a Shay Day.