Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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# ]( H# f; w" N' M- V> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) k- m2 _' f- b; p; m1 y$ X> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
8 r/ C- S- X8 C( I3 f0 A0 b# X9 o> same choice?
>
$ T; z( W( T) {: J3 n> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
; b; N- ]- A( ?" w4 o: r* f> 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:
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7 c1 D4 j$ S4 U> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
! g7 W! e3 @8 n! {> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
% r; \' e% ]* B9 C' v> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
9 F6 p9 D9 T9 |9 Q5 O" y: [> natural order of things in my son?'
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7 f9 ^2 Z( @$ j) i8 V> The audience was stilled by the query.
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6 L  h; O4 r! [" }! ^& H. Q0 `> 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
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
, s5 R: C3 z/ F8 D, E8 M> 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,
+ `! O5 ?, i1 _1 O4 q2 }> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
% w# E$ c. }3 w8 Z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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( c* W$ |' u" w8 s% c> 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
. T: r7 K) H) n: t> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
4 R5 A$ ~7 \/ ]> inning.'
>
> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
  [1 x* W) E+ B7 ?+ n> 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
; @5 \! R' B8 ~+ S; a1 }; e$ 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
  X7 r3 Q$ }7 H3 B/ Y- E> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
/ m8 b# m4 W9 k$ \3 ?. f> 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
0 k4 V3 U. `: p! D> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
' A6 m  A1 h$ {* d- t9 W/ N- i  W> 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
> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
, o/ w% d$ \! t' V> 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
9 i" x) f. @, r, n" {$ O> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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  _( B7 q4 c2 b3 K> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
0 G# i6 F# E; e0 s, O1 Y( p> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
$ i* G: _2 C. X# m" U> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
, r. F4 Y1 w9 ~) k; o/ ^# P> 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
1 R: R: ?1 \2 `' B5 y. I" [> 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
! [, A/ I6 _" y- y> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
( F7 ?2 v  C! |2 i% s> 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
' f8 }; k/ l; I/ a> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
) _( C% P: ]4 z* G+ [+ }> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
( K4 K2 y1 b6 ^  A> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, |: a+ j3 F4 ]. I/ |0 n+ T  D+ p> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
" y( x. h+ b  p$ S> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
6 K5 ~2 @9 ]- }2 D0 S- n+ \8 W. _> game for his team.
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8 [: {' C7 y4 B+ p4 Y9 n> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
% t7 }9 \$ {5 V  Q> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: K2 [8 T  ?* D5 i9 o: d. a> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
9 h3 }$ f( E! z& `' X- [/ m' `> 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
( m+ \& C. y4 J  _% I' Z; q' P> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
' t; ]9 H' B1 J/ |+ A> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ z0 g# w& C2 j> 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
$ `2 m/ ?0 `4 ^> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
. h* g( b2 ]) ~1 w2 ^> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
& [3 l5 ?9 P& Z> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
( ~* ?3 `3 P* v4 B# _> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" i5 f  J: [( `+ M" O, ^1 e> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
6 o$ j  Q# S# l6 v" K% S4 q> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.