Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
! {) j  _# a4 T6 ?  i" r> 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
0 o+ v  S: z3 ~, r, M, V> same choice?
>
# d+ o2 X2 N7 e* |1 S/ N> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
: P+ R& Z7 m% {5 p2 W. X' [* Y  I> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
9 Q, l0 k& f6 T3 f> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
# f; }& K! ~5 c' G0 N& X. F> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# ^4 B, {" N& w% o$ V, ^> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
( ]) r' `0 }3 r> 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.
0 @" G3 l+ e8 k9 w>
# k" U5 M: J/ u* o* @> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 V! z, W+ T. C& t% q; N, V> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
  B+ p( ~) ?7 t% r5 S" X> treat that child.'
6 x' x# s; Z* A0 [2 U* F>
> 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
> 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,
0 b/ ?$ F& ?% {& Y- x- I7 H5 o> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
" A% B  k/ l7 z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
$ u7 K6 F9 D( ~$ {>
> 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
! C1 ?; w' u9 F1 B> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
/ K0 T  s9 k. Z& d>
> 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
/ F& P. D% E8 K, ?+ ~> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
8 a" f9 U8 n# ]7 ?* }. e> 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
, M7 \! q7 z4 q> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
7 a2 t9 S9 W3 S2 K$ o% Y> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 w6 S4 G9 l; E> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
- C2 U2 F  H/ Z' m7 i* I( H; h> 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
> next at bat.
, ^# b/ q2 V6 {2 R5 z>
1 E* s7 O) h% [) \0 F> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
2 [1 C6 ?3 `3 Y# F  \4 @> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
1 {/ e. }; f- }9 o> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
# ^1 Y. w7 o; J: g> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
$ \2 k4 L# C& B> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
; J( b- C' i! f; m> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
8 ~. [7 b: u( g  |2 H/ U% x) P> 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.
' n4 G) T& c+ `, V4 d> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> 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
* l4 u$ H' t/ D  }( F' T8 v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
2 }. t: i4 Z5 X2 S6 B>
> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
1 U- Q4 r% x! Y+ \! F> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
9 E7 W: T* D& l' ~' [> wide-eyed and startled.
* K6 I+ u4 r! ~; w( D>
/ x7 t  d0 X( ?% t. `& c4 W> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
- Q, Z+ C( m8 H( M6 ?7 Q+ v> 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
. x3 P, a* j+ ]* Q$ T- z> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
9 R7 Z" q+ R: N, X; ]> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
, w8 g. u  x, p" Q! p& X> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  o3 J+ O" e" u4 X1 s( f> 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
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
* R9 V* I8 m" G& S0 _. K> game for his team.
! ~# L1 y. T4 s# [>
- [; x' L, p& ?) e0 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
' O- a& ?% B% i- X> into this world'.
& t9 h' D7 l+ b1 M3 W. g+ ^$ W>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
# F/ k; ?+ s) q/ j4 a> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
% v8 u. j4 P2 L& ]. s, n. u> 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
4 ~+ E' t, u, b- A. v> 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.
>
> 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
/ b0 @  W) w& t) H> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
0 B9 N- N! O: N4 B( c> 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?
>
) U" A$ k& t9 F. X# U9 H( y> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 H9 e- }9 q' X$ y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
, ?' i( q" y; p* k> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
% E* N4 U7 ^/ ~> May your day, be a Shay Day.