Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
5 N" x+ A& S( a4 S1 W4 o6 v  R>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
# u8 A( A9 s" ?6 v! t6 J+ ^> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
% E+ S6 M+ t" q: s. [' O> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
3 W8 Q3 h# A6 s' n+ d0 u6 f' A> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
. X7 L- }3 b: B: n; }0 w) G> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
2 @4 n; D& Q" r7 P0 ]* }  J2 {> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! W7 e; u/ e. s, |. j" V9 ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
- N- f! ?( C" ?5 A> treat that child.'
>
+ P) X' W; N; V6 U& P> Then he told the following story:
>
. `7 [1 O8 L) [) o> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
4 x: ^6 s$ M& l, I& B> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
3 e5 D% g! _0 [* ^/ A> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
, g$ s' h/ I( e7 s> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
+ d# z6 J- D( K# f8 j; K5 O> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
6 c, X5 N; S7 G& p, a! ]7 `> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
$ |$ Q" X5 Z% q+ I8 E9 ^> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
# ]* h2 L3 Z0 W>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ v- m7 O4 y+ \, D> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
* Y! c$ B- g6 A1 i& q> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
0 l& z" m* m8 g5 a6 Z/ \5 C> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
  x" ?) G  z2 d; K% j) ?& E> 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
3 v9 i4 k/ o6 c' T) L& i> 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
  [- G5 @( `0 S# x  x$ p> 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.
>
> 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,
3 C! N/ r0 \$ G5 z2 |4 z* x> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
6 c; w- m. z( j* H0 P" @$ y> 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.
/ D3 \% B2 L( r  Z: Q1 [7 \5 d> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
0 C! m' i, ]( }2 x$ |- a>
' c- n2 z' B/ d: O7 ?+ I! _+ R) [7 V4 a> 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
- E0 Q% K) |: N4 s& l/ |6 u( D4 o> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
+ E$ p% `* C$ }) c  U> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
3 ?" w4 }- h8 z" k0 v4 v9 c> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
! ^/ i( C5 q& J> 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
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
0 D* L4 n. o$ y1 j. I9 _  {# O> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
+ s8 g, M4 C) ^> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
; c9 ]$ d' q* s- q/ O) D> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
" a# j! p2 c$ c- R7 \8 }  q1 {> circled the bases toward home.
' \" b/ E  r: K# H6 b>
9 l' i) W) G/ f4 e6 d9 {9 H> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
7 K2 D. a$ [5 q>
2 l& e* f; l# _) O; V> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 v! J9 W( J0 y5 W  z> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
' M0 w0 X! i# Q>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
+ y7 E% K. g9 S& D  d" }, Y> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
$ f. O9 M8 o% N$ {) A0 d) w> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
, ]" u  H! K2 J! a. M+ ?' G( _> game for his team.
- Y, S& n1 T  h, d0 \% x0 b0 C>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" M! d# m7 p7 X, t> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
5 @$ a- T2 Q- e+ L> into this world'.
7 ~' _5 E; J  t8 B/ C& W: _" v>
& ?8 T! v8 }2 {) Z2 }3 h- @' Y) i& B> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
4 s/ j' y5 B# C% A+ `' }) T. \+ x0 g> 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
( I( R+ i4 D$ r  r! a> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
# ^0 X6 X9 _* o, ?7 J2 I> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
  w$ E4 B! `9 u4 L>
> 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
9 M1 b9 S7 b+ s1 d! G4 k> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
: ]& d  K( Z+ F: J> 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 K2 F: \7 W! ~( S7 m> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 D) R4 y( F2 d3 r" c* \& E> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
6 }$ _0 T/ O3 ^5 o> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
, l- \- R. P; Y5 v: U* ?1 t> May your day, be a Shay Day.