Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* E% Z9 a: _3 a  x; [+ c* }$ {> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
, {" J- G) ~* M) [+ s2 }> 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:
>
& D7 U. z# h/ t0 q/ O> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
" U$ ~2 R# W- j) h> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! M2 ^# H* z, C4 p" x) z# O/ B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
/ H+ ^$ x5 w$ u$ g2 O7 n3 N> natural order of things in my son?'
4 t5 m4 k# o/ A" O/ R6 V; d>
9 P) x+ {4 Y- w/ j& R% r+ m1 t) v> The audience was stilled by the query.
9 X8 R2 u, j: e' L( _; n" Y>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  o1 P0 @8 d" p1 A0 ~+ D> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
+ r: j8 ?; g9 s1 |9 I# F+ r. i0 b> treat that child.'
9 r+ Z% S, J& I  `$ t& `>
- l+ u, u% w, i; j! p, G> Then he told the following story:
>
( E$ ~- N/ o( y( R1 k5 R2 B> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# o! z# n1 t* a* T" g! S/ ~- L> 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
1 c, [, A+ e1 ]% j/ }> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
8 M$ X/ X, h+ L) o> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 u; Y5 z- B) `0 _> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
  X4 G- J& o" C> 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
$ V6 M3 q0 o) c. i* J3 i& r> inning.'
4 o4 }% A. u9 E- O/ c3 R>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
1 i3 \: Z( \: P) X' u2 I. x5 x> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
. x4 X" j# t" u5 A: @4 F> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% T. l  W  s3 a. P4 O8 x# C> 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
' l2 T8 [& U0 u6 U; N> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
2 j% B. Z; n$ K: l& X& G' I: z  K> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
+ l" {& c% ^! _/ g> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
1 i+ A3 w* D% _; u4 G> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
( j4 U' x/ Y; }6 c9 |+ i> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( k5 X$ ~! b  J! P/ a) P0 ]9 W> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
/ {) T2 n- v% t* B> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* ?. m) k; t5 I' f9 Z. \4 a> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
0 p$ C2 P7 S" k1 @, X3 ]+ M> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
  ~6 y% ]' N" L8 z* O: m% e( J> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
/ j( j3 d; |' ~" d7 F8 H$ R0 Q8 Y> wide-eyed and startled.
>
8 p, M% P1 Q& _5 \  D9 D> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
8 s* |) O) K& L. d* q& i: S  D0 R2 A> 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,
- Y: G; w7 Y' C$ ^) N> 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
* t+ k2 u- Q) R+ y, ]> circled the bases toward home.
>
5 E9 P- v8 A4 U' c1 U* {+ M* A> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
9 Z+ r7 ]$ t6 q6 ]8 {% `! D>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" \0 b5 V! t: h: m) ~. k) t> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
( S! G7 @3 D$ @: v/ T( j> Shay, run to third!'
7 {: B, D% N; A# {4 [' g& J>
" G+ o" q) r$ W( f  j> 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
& ]: W1 ?; v9 d; b% W6 f6 c> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
% E) e. x6 ?/ Q* {" J>
7 L: J! O7 |2 }* w- x3 E5 \. U1 c> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  _2 X8 C# Y& Y% {4 X> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
" L. X& K7 @) [5 B> into this world'.
: Y$ D. a( x) \* {, g8 S>
- I# V; T, g+ }4 Y> 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
, I, t# X5 J5 N, A( N' ?> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
. z$ `& p( \, o9 Q  d& q> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
9 p& @' z, x  \: H> 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
8 v7 o9 h5 B  x> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
! @. x9 a! @( ^6 B- p$ f; t>
> 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
& C8 c& ^/ V; h> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
7 h* Z9 H  m" S> 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
+ b" v: N3 Z; X8 g* t; w8 ?4 m( I+ E> bit colder in the process?
>
/ P- z9 L4 J& r0 {> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
3 G" b: a, T" I  P6 C# u> 1. Delete
# ^  _! K0 B6 J# @# G* h4 m6 x7 z* R> 2. Forward
>
0 c/ ^9 h9 ?" {1 ?( ]( d> May your day, be a Shay Day.