Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
% A, s( j5 A4 S0 q- x( L> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 k5 z. Q8 b$ s. D% }> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
# G" d5 Q6 ?  v# L* g* ?> same choice?
>
4 y! O% G4 B) _> 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
/ c3 N6 }$ H% {7 R$ \2 T8 a> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
( O! n& l" ~/ Q+ ^1 m> staff, he offered a question:
>
: j* \% s/ J4 \0 x& x" r/ g7 z6 |9 x> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
8 E7 ]& X6 ]% F+ y> 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
3 ~. c7 a+ N6 M/ u" L" P> natural order of things in my son?'
0 N" c6 j! S: u3 E$ I5 a9 Z>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
6 d* H7 w$ x! b8 H4 J>
" o( S  d6 @( c/ G> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
6 x% [' A* z# _7 G1 c> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ x+ K4 Q4 e* i> treat that child.'
! g( B" [2 H% m& P( L) j! G3 R+ L) K>
& w' s4 S1 |. h/ {- L, L> Then he told the following story:
>
) I5 ^0 [5 O* p4 |> 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
. x3 m( F: q2 [2 y> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
' D# n6 G3 z* l% `; V: D' v% X# I> 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
* j' n; L& |; t  }! V6 ?> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
" Z9 e8 W' ^  c> 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
; m% A& z& O% z> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
  t0 U! V' V+ X' b& w0 B> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
* J$ m& B- F/ j+ q' {> inning.'
! {) Z$ e3 z1 v: w$ j) K1 m& ?  j>
% R6 G, |4 r+ C0 X) l% G( m1 F> 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
. Z4 x. C7 y% \3 n- O> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
$ U4 s1 z+ ^3 U2 g  Y* y& \> 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
4 f, t" G: d. C. o> next at bat.
>
' [0 u" e9 a0 I> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) b& f8 d9 y- h6 j- _> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
+ E; J. U. o, ~1 b2 k> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
* \$ V0 F( V2 s> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
& Z5 g9 G' I# `. ]0 W7 Q/ }' u- |8 p> 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.
0 N% Z+ ^8 H1 h1 [+ R> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
> 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
, J" F& t7 |- j: Q( E> 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
) m6 z$ L; `! _# [" y4 {6 o> 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
' x* M2 [* C0 [. {9 Q> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ u4 y" x8 }# \0 r5 Q* f* K( y> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
, J( L+ |* c& v> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
1 h# j' @, O9 p6 O5 ?2 L6 p> 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
* s) n# t  `0 A0 b, q6 h> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
! _4 h! i; D2 ~" I9 q>
> 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!
' L) ?' s# F* T$ t  ~; n> Shay, run to third!'
>
0 _/ @# b2 y9 ~. F> 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
5 x! y* X5 M$ h( B> game for his team.
>
( \" }. B3 C' L, x! [9 s% m* Q> '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
& E, W' o, B9 w1 t7 i3 U> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' o6 c/ {" w' e, a" Q> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
+ E0 @' K4 L7 H9 u% G5 z- \+ g> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
2 {" G  i! B& U7 C" S) L! m( u  i) Y>
> 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
; n) A/ J- |7 {> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
/ A/ s3 s* b2 L# E% s> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
2 @# d. i8 }1 O, m; L& A> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
( w8 i+ a- ~& q- w0 K3 s: [+ W9 @> 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
# f# M* }5 l+ F! c> 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
4 J& Y5 L, c6 l8 \) b( 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
- {& T' e6 C& E: l1 m6 z, S> bit colder in the process?
, ?' B/ r) L( d* v, j( \>
' g2 e7 p* u7 V) h) S5 T  U/ v> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
: e% U/ _5 Q1 A! M6 c0 K# l3 h> You now have two choices:
7 A* G* S" l6 r" K6 }> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
% \; Q- ?: P# ?1 ~> May your day, be a Shay Day.