Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
6 l) J' y; A# V3 l! O& d% a> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 g0 K# E5 L( K0 L3 b/ o  ~> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
* m0 c( |8 ^7 ^* K" N> 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
- w) L, a$ ?: P+ U> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
5 u2 M' h" b  K5 _7 e& E9 N% T> staff, he offered a question:
2 m% q# m% F( ]9 p>
7 G; J# R( d* F) {& H> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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?'
>
6 M3 Y; Q5 u  R. d- v. G> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
$ Z  L9 ^4 P7 o: i> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
$ q2 }* ~3 u# |>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
, ?& X- X7 z) g6 l1 ]% Z> 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
6 Q& W7 b$ u; G9 ^& \> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
- I, m1 n: q8 P7 z6 O- g> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
3 s4 O* L8 P/ Q3 N/ }2 Y>
$ M; v: i6 L' R- W4 g> 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
0 h" u: K& k, B5 O9 Q" e> 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
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 w1 Z  y! p" b8 [' W1 b' i. j) a> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
  R6 Q+ ^; q1 \1 P  a6 c> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
# [% }$ n& s( i; Z> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
: l* e) h! d& V8 X" y9 j1 g> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
$ L8 a) u6 b) F( H> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
$ x. M. }* R: S1 w- l* S4 u> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
# _, C3 ~2 A& p. {0 e> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
# f7 @, N2 L$ p& \* p* ^> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
/ C/ J  W8 W" _7 z7 [$ d1 E) E> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
2 t6 ]& D* D# {  r+ P> 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
6 F5 d* f* N( Q> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
% b2 k0 E6 y7 z8 F5 K> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
1 D$ u/ H7 z7 z> 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
2 Z! B9 F/ l2 G5 j> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
. r  u6 n9 Q! G4 W5 ?3 y7 q7 m> 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.
>
5 l) Y" I2 w# Y. [- [1 [% t7 c> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
$ O# f  Z# q- ?/ P> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
/ Y% s# a5 x  T& d& x: w2 [> 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
  B/ |) ~, e) ]; O9 \> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
3 ~5 |# j2 G3 Z/ Y> 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.
>
  [8 z- V! r! n4 h6 W% C2 }> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" D) j6 v" T9 c. y$ }, Y> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ `6 J+ n; x/ X; w% E> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
# p+ t- ?: T" u$ g) Y8 K4 d, X> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ l/ x7 W, }: u6 ?7 l7 |- O> 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
" \( O  a( G; G  c3 L> circled the bases toward home.
, `4 @5 q# B  O+ p# }% W>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
0 ?; J. J/ P4 P7 F5 `3 O, N> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
9 a, I& b/ I- ~% Z/ Q/ F* {  G5 \7 G> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 O$ j$ W! ?4 ~> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
; T1 U6 c5 @& ^4 x> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
+ ^$ ?; I4 l$ ^* C$ y; d! `( o> game for his team.
9 p" a" E) b1 ?9 _* N>
; B7 K5 e3 ~+ h) D3 y1 `1 z> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
: Q0 [' b" P" l: V> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
/ Q1 l/ f  w, n, n8 C>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% f. Z) h7 o! D- g> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
. K+ j5 g) Z$ d  A/ m0 ~0 V$ T* B+ K> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
: x6 Q  |, T' k( Z4 T% A> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
% q8 ?" G- G! N! y> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
4 b/ S/ r! _4 n# d7 q* U8 k> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' e8 d, V" o1 y2 y4 l4 T$ ?> 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
* K7 P1 ~- `6 t7 `+ \: M$ G> 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
7 |8 y' p  X5 o$ k7 ~> bit colder in the process?
>
7 A9 g7 Q6 R: m> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
* k  S3 }9 h4 b4 P6 J! J> 1. Delete
& y# w' ^( |9 z; a* s> 2. Forward
9 m  ]3 e2 A/ Y, A# |: S8 Q3 g' A5 m>
- m/ r; b  a4 j> May your day, be a Shay Day.