Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
9 z) x# W1 s7 ?. w4 d2 I6 I> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; M8 t; }1 u  Q7 c: J8 L4 G> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
* p+ _6 b) \$ o9 f4 D$ A5 \+ P> same choice?
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  |$ E4 U% x- \7 Q+ O$ g( G> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
* y6 W' q# X. r- g' U; w> 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
" _8 ^7 j6 G! M4 Q> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 s$ H5 T- o3 @5 `0 p  a& I> 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?'
>
> 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
8 i( c' J2 Y& U6 c> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
3 P' }9 |- T1 S* K3 r# z> treat that child.'
>
; t% ~2 p3 w: Z) C* K> Then he told the following story:
>
4 x% W8 U+ E- j" ]4 K, N. ^> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' q, Q/ D( V  k- b2 j' U5 x> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
. x5 Y! @* q' U! i  X> 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,
' v8 U- u  y! i4 r# H> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
7 _7 X& i/ O5 ]: k& P1 O>
> 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
: Z8 c% r" F8 o/ @> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
( \% L  c2 o: B! O2 ?' y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
' O1 }% C  d' l9 j1 R( a- P0 \+ p> inning.'
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! A6 f4 a0 ]+ ?: C> 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
: E# \) ]) n9 T# s0 r( e. N> 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
; [- }' G5 F4 ]8 o& u( p5 d> 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
8 l+ N. o' l5 m3 i  t( e5 R3 g> 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
5 _, }* ]- M# B% {8 d5 n3 t> next at bat.
>
" k, N) U' g" G; I> 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
: e$ D# I5 d) V> 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
! t$ e( d* d- R+ w# a4 N> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ |4 V; n- W  w5 r> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
" ]* s% R! p5 ?8 g! x> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
, v$ w% x* n; i7 H! m4 J> 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.
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/ {9 k& S5 a8 U0 B$ F9 [> 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
# O, x$ {; ]4 @/ ]> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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) ]. M. O0 @1 a4 j: L> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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& e+ r9 {+ M% w2 H> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
# {2 q" L( j1 b* l7 X# w> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
  w# f  o5 r- o' }* d2 v6 P1 `8 h" s> 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
; Y' ?4 \: P& L> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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" E, A: ^! I$ U$ D5 b% s) R> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
0 h9 a% F% X0 `6 Z% d, J> 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
> game for his team.
: S1 a8 e4 |5 ^2 R% L" W2 H/ R>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 ?% R  ~9 \8 f+ \1 z1 I3 z: n1 t* A2 C9 y> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
4 u  m+ S5 {& U2 n; `) E' u> into this world'.
>
  e5 q6 |, v/ C( h> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 o' P% x1 a, J# y> 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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- v2 }8 D$ Z# 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$ Z$ u" A9 L+ Z, a& g> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
. U2 b* }  U+ E! U> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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7 J% A0 e3 \( q- J3 u5 B: F: C> 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
9 g; g( t5 f$ j> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' a2 H% q9 H; n1 `7 u> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
0 w. T0 D1 u" r( w& n" L> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
: C" h. y! [; W$ Z1 P! q. M( V9 F> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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; |( }; P2 s- f> May your day, be a Shay Day.