Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
7 B- y" `* f. g0 [- z>
3 |  G7 |" _4 c5 Q) ~8 Y2 ]> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, [5 [, P9 U3 {> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
& }& d2 E% h! f6 f- C> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
- z2 d8 W5 d& ^; A- {) Y  }! |' z> 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
2 d* ?4 ^# Z# s* Z# ^; N> staff, he offered a question:
: r( t( u: a5 c$ w* r>
> '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
' a0 l! |" d  U. q: x8 A2 Q' _> natural order of things in my son?'
& S* N9 ~. O) k* k* H9 G>
# G2 P3 o7 }$ N# M9 S3 U6 Z2 Y! i> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
" B; \, u1 q5 m> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
$ j1 d* v/ g* d' N> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 x. g; n: d! @8 o" Z> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
) T- \+ X2 ~# G7 ^: j> Then he told the following story:
>
) M8 c1 C9 j& J> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
( y- l# T$ z2 v0 P6 q; f2 E# M7 @> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
7 A- x1 u- j+ Z# P, O& U: _7 V> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
/ h  y, Y9 v7 A3 w2 ~* u* f> 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.
4 O( N/ f% R4 ], i>
: n! f6 O# W: c+ T> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
. R7 n: G5 ^# U( m; U' a+ j. U> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
- i5 |/ E( I- C4 Q6 ^% y( W% d> 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.'
>
- Y% L" Q! Q5 J5 `; k& C7 h! M; x. ^> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
# m0 H/ S% M7 T2 L> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
9 T' K2 d% d/ Z, w# c! e1 Y* W1 b  o> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
2 m7 Q; |) ^  r2 ?> 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.
> 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
2 ?% c0 N; v' R) `2 A+ t. @) H  [> 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.
>
, U* a8 H, Z! h' c> 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
9 c3 I" X5 r8 f3 y4 c> 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
> 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.
>
> 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
7 K, ]- R5 L( x! z; L% D! Y> 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,
> 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.
>
; N/ K7 C9 X+ q$ @3 _> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
# ~5 s5 T5 w5 m' J3 d/ b- b( E0 w; H>
4 |3 [. C0 J+ k- c+ A  ^: P> 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!
8 ~  K8 ]$ A/ s( h1 f; z' s> Shay, run to third!'
% {) w9 U" Y7 Z" k& g% N+ j>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, G* e9 B2 _3 L6 u> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
" }  B, U$ t8 j4 N0 a. G2 q4 y0 B> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
>
> 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
0 K) o$ y- K+ P! \& k> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
# s5 N  J7 b# H>
> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" y  l5 h% a# c& J  O4 `/ W> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
& U7 `9 e: Y5 x( f- v; b> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
0 A! ~1 X4 \4 i8 X7 E2 @> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
5 R. D6 y7 b7 e5 B- H2 t4 Q> 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
4 `- _, S$ e/ g* ~3 I  ]: V> bit colder in the process?
8 {; s% G) V; w" N) `' }>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
5 p; v7 `9 L, w6 ~" L>
7 h9 d* N* @8 x% m> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
9 m6 M- f0 U0 }> 2. Forward
>
" y5 a0 H1 c( f+ _5 g> May your day, be a Shay Day.