Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
3 E8 `6 }. Z* M$ d9 f> 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
1 ~! P1 @! F- ^+ o1 J6 y2 f> same choice?
>
" V4 z0 B1 `1 }' ]/ V4 C> 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
1 |% N5 A. `0 E> staff, he offered a question:
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4 z* M/ P+ F4 `> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 _9 |' x' T% q% H> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 L" p- j1 J2 C# W0 W) ]1 w> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
% @# `, ~8 ]: K) a- C6 }> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% k8 Q. [% h0 v% H' @> 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.'
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5 `$ |6 K: h! w2 y( Q> Then he told the following story:
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4 E" U) R* C6 y/ Y4 H> 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
> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
6 u8 H6 b. k7 n# z& t  z7 t2 h> 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
2 [1 v% X5 r# Y" s- h3 I> 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
6 w$ @7 o9 w' T> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
/ z# N# N8 [* n4 Y$ c0 y/ x. ^> 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
6 O! C, B0 i( U: H, d/ A> 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
+ \, p+ [5 f' D; X4 i+ i, e> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
: I: }2 ^( k( ^6 J( Q6 {> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
0 u1 ], v- Z6 E* N5 `; P> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
8 a8 R5 L1 d  t3 }/ I- F> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
, E# u8 D  d3 A  f: y0 ?- C2 q> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
# x! u4 V  Q, Q- b( K& K> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  X) M% y" K( ]) M> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
9 m: K, s: h: Q5 w> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
& y* w4 w6 Q% C  `  o> much less connect with the ball.
. m& V% A9 |! ^- e2 C' N> 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
> 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
  n) X2 p( o8 e6 y7 D) F4 ^% M> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
* ]: S4 l% A; y* [1 Y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 Q: e9 S6 Y4 ~. G8 H" m2 x( Y> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' w' ~. `1 z! L( f> 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.
>
> 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
- d( W! ^9 Y0 b# {2 S> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
) u8 s* J2 q+ j( o> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
; w' I, U5 @8 U: Z> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 o6 K: C! `) |- t/ B> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
# }* {" X8 D3 ^9 h* A, V( ~2 j> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
1 p* N: V, W* F2 J" `> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
$ r1 d, g0 s5 p, A> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
2 I7 l/ m8 ]" m3 k> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
. M' A! x6 ?# f  I0 U> 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!
, R* \. v2 t1 N0 {- Q: Z> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 d: M, a$ L, I0 _4 W+ r4 l$ J/ `> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
6 G* {& b! h& m' [( }9 Y> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
, E) W+ s9 f0 U  g) @' Z> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
* Y) I" G8 a% z- ^. E> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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6 ~8 a- b* F) x  f> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
5 \1 a" P( P1 T& m: D, m* S+ 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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+ P) j! W6 k, @> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
+ i' M6 S( T! W, Q/ x> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
4 z8 B! W4 o' ^; N. a> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
2 {: N3 {& D4 ~8 ^> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
# f3 k! z* Z/ @' x: V> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
: T1 ?- X4 \7 B& r5 r! P> 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?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# p4 j6 d4 U5 @! h) v1 @9 C" t> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
6 D" c& _! b$ ?7 }9 [/ i> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.