Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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( t6 [/ N, d* m0 d> 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
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
9 r1 D6 Y+ F7 ?/ y0 c( s2 y> 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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& \& q6 z. W/ B& y> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
- N/ v& t0 q7 z0 j. d9 U9 s6 }> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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& {: J5 }/ f; a7 X> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
! Y! _; n8 R6 G7 F& w) C6 ~> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
6 r, K5 N4 n6 r8 ~> 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:
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> 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
1 e# i7 b8 Y3 s/ e% A) w4 ~9 J" y  p> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
# f6 G* p5 R( y( \" ?% s> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
6 ~  J6 I: d6 A) ]> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
8 h/ ^, r* ~8 o8 l# [2 F. F> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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  B. k. L" ^( }' h4 z- m> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
* P- l: t. r, a/ F( Y> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
; M+ `" L) K9 ]$ v0 B> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
6 k# g" u( ^7 _" k. B+ s> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
4 y4 V/ ]# }6 o0 o5 f> inning.'
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* h0 n+ b; D( l4 x) n> 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
% Z* z* G# I# r- _  Z: U> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
0 p/ j, }' s$ ^3 T( {. n# t; ~> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
7 S' s$ a5 r8 V# x> 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
' S/ B% F% z' F9 C5 e2 U> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
" ^& _/ f( m) ?. g  `9 i> next at bat.
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5 a7 @  |5 p: P* t! F% N% U4 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
1 o8 s4 q, W  q+ O> 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
% r: ]4 g) V0 W' E( T> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
3 X: u7 w' M" w1 V> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; ~6 j& ?' U0 b( {> 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
2 Q; H8 g% {* T! |/ v> right back to the pitcher.
>
8 b; K: {4 r; g7 c> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' h/ V: E' s0 {( G; U> 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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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
6 d; q5 ?6 V( V3 t( ~8 h> 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
2 l7 m( B8 v/ ^4 \: @* c> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
' {( M% f, `( O% ^: D! }5 W> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
. V/ K8 f' P4 e9 L> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
( C" W9 ]6 Z  B/ k% e> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
9 A# z: h0 w$ j& ?+ n> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
/ L- q  F9 {$ }> 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
* U6 t" ^/ P5 A& T8 ^! B> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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! r3 L! j4 a. i) `> 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!'
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; G, ]: E, l$ B3 W6 j& m; Y> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# d& D. C9 n" k: L% }0 I> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
! T/ c6 G! ]) w" @8 U. s, ?> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
) c8 f# w8 Q/ E+ G> game for his team.
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# M& k% P. Z* s* ^% f% b> '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'.
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> 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
+ w' Y/ [! ~$ r+ Q> 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
- k7 l$ j0 D& }0 v$ a) P> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
6 u( C0 x" o& X> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
+ ?4 G% O' i* O- f9 P8 j6 f8 {0 ]> 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
7 O; D! L0 t9 N# V> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
7 y0 A$ f6 X6 s> 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 Y  s3 J# S* x, j" C* U4 r> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
6 b2 W: f0 L" F- g& d+ V& N2 B> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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! \2 A9 _( _4 j! V> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 s. _- b0 Z1 |, M1 a> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.