Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
7 X7 ^/ [  B7 C- m: c/ w> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 B, H2 D' }# F* P* h: a> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
8 a5 e0 f; S9 B5 b5 C> same choice?
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> 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:
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8 P6 |1 P* J; f9 p- M+ j3 x" `$ B> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 c  ~7 {; ]9 S> 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?'
>
' [, G) Y* \" H> The audience was stilled by the query.
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' P5 N& A* X6 i( g/ U8 Z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% ]% U3 \" Z3 h% Q9 C* p- D6 J- D; b* X> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
! J' t) B* \  N4 W, L" u* \! k7 }> treat that child.'
>
7 L) N# Z! S. t  Z& ]> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
5 X/ ?7 [$ I: y& G* X> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
! k7 Z* _9 S: S* m* Z; n> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
/ t; C6 k$ ~! {  S> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
6 `' y  \5 ~1 y; M) {! I> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
) q% J' a3 f# _# D: z1 }> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
' f# V4 A3 U( r# T# x> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& e( D0 \' z( 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
7 ?* I$ T; n( ]2 I8 ~> inning.'
>
  C8 y2 v2 Q* W) K$ ?) V> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
2 _4 F! z5 E$ f. G5 u> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
7 S; F2 f( o" C6 Y) f$ B$ E> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
0 L. k) t4 f5 x! a( H2 R> 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
0 a/ M. ^: u5 L. f" W8 Y/ ]> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
4 ^+ j( ~) H3 U( n- p> next at bat.
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. H; A% d, G! b3 j, 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
) U) m  k4 A  S( G, C% X# i: Y> much less connect with the ball.
7 h6 u; R" p6 M0 J> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 u3 M3 a! P0 n6 `' L2 B8 }* ^% T> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
* q; Z; A  c7 ?> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% [& C4 M% i3 Z0 Y1 X> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
9 K) B- o9 S5 F  r+ |> 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.
>
$ H; F( C# f; _2 H% K" n- X& I' \& y> 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.
>
: h$ `4 I# ]% Y& v  ~% X1 C> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ x8 y: }2 c  H4 G" n! O' P> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
% c' x7 X/ e+ U/ I' c> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 c) j! L4 u+ A" C> 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
# H8 j3 M; P. v9 W# J* K> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
9 o+ p8 I1 q0 T5 Q> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
. f$ x* }# Z0 Q1 X" J' r> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
; X8 X: f! D  @1 `* R> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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
. v% o# `2 j* |# M> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
0 W" ?* ?: }! y> Shay, run to third!'
>
9 X2 v+ i2 t5 N  `8 x/ D/ h> 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
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
* m; x* [1 {/ r2 z8 b> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
" ]/ N5 b% j1 y* i8 T9 N* P/ S/ i> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: C, P: t  I# b/ c$ s# o7 P> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
* P. m$ z; l( ]> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
  a& C( h$ T  x3 x> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
+ [; R5 p+ d* M% R. M; k0 g> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
- w: }1 `1 E+ y$ i9 [# u> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
% q4 u; U8 c. m& h, E6 y% `3 Z> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
> 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 j8 ~) ?9 b; _& ?, S> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
1 J& L" C  r8 i  E: ?5 O7 d* P> 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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$ l- f$ z3 }/ x% ]0 m> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.