Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
$ k: n* y# B7 c5 S" ?1 @> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
& t4 y5 w/ R/ m* d> same choice?
>
5 F3 I. ^0 _8 I> 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
0 I: S' v0 x3 @# v, {1 z0 z' I1 A> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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4 G$ \$ X) O2 t& |# o0 S> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# Y0 e! K6 n, M5 p: a> 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?'
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3 F; H$ l: F6 V> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ N- O! l8 t. W. d4 c  k' ]> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 g* c4 d7 s! q  }6 y> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
. j# H1 ~& H3 x4 `6 d& R> treat that child.'
>
( k/ I9 G4 O4 k+ w: b) D> Then he told the following story:
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: p! b4 ?3 h/ c, t4 \% C$ Y9 t> 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
* l, A! A  [. S! A& P& r9 m> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
1 R) `5 s4 j2 ?- m/ c# r> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
5 h4 t: m! h9 K$ g( X" V> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
5 Q4 A" v+ Y7 P> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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( R0 g: Q$ y- @5 h$ X> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
  o0 O- _$ v# h1 A> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
" U6 w$ w' P; n9 u6 b5 R% X> 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
+ d) k7 f8 B  X> inning.'
>
! _" N! O8 Q! l' i! y1 D5 a9 I% U) g> 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 Z0 ]; ~& B3 \> 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
& l4 D" I( T) K. I3 b7 R> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
- v, s$ U: K( _  a3 K/ I$ R> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
! J" q" H# e' Y> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
+ P& \/ d' [5 b5 v> 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
* X, W/ t- f. `$ {$ }! n> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
' `' x4 s& |9 _$ R> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
) ^( d( H# |3 e+ T( r7 R1 G4 i> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
' V+ `6 u/ N0 s) E> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
4 }1 d7 U5 ^1 M. Q" k> right back to the pitcher.
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/ m7 \+ {- c( v; v9 t4 c> 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.
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: f; G& Z0 n+ c1 ~> 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
# R8 d2 X" n9 z6 S> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
9 @( z2 i; y! [2 B, v) G# u' ^2 N7 P, T> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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% s5 B; w* M4 z> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- C( ]8 F5 x" \7 c$ t: f/ W1 W$ t> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
+ x/ l4 ~5 E0 j# Q> 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
* A6 s' X* ?; s; ]$ C" m+ 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
7 m7 c% Q( @( a> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
9 }% D( F& `- W3 E# l, p; |> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- V4 D$ _3 P2 T, w; }9 A3 O: _> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
1 Q& Y( f; b+ {2 a, |. F> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
1 N& \# Y, s7 B0 E4 Q> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
0 D" o, a) l- G. U9 r$ P, F0 Y> game for his team.
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$ ]4 S2 M) O  @# j2 K> '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'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
; F1 C* l, K5 C& B  b5 G( D# Z> 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!
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. \, n) P7 `, _" ~- _/ {' R$ m> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
& J! Y2 b5 J3 }/ b/ L5 |) Z> 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
  R( ?0 C# o# [2 O' i) u8 _2 ]> 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
3 O/ {& b4 w* ?> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
4 a$ I: H: _$ P1 l/ {% V> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 c) w) ?5 J1 |8 @7 R> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
- C' _; I+ H; W* C0 F5 Q: ]. d> 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?
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# T2 o/ @8 |7 C! P> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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) F( |5 I) X+ D6 E1 y+ J7 K> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
1 e6 s& S, B2 s. K2 V0 E> 2. Forward
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* ]2 _  z+ d" v/ b$ i# |> May your day, be a Shay Day.