Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
3 }, E. C8 h' D# J1 M>
> 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
3 }) h3 d% o; @! T2 N& h* M> same choice?
  G; m, L/ h6 x; \, _>
> 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
% z4 V& b2 b$ [6 ]. s0 G; L, q> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
; D1 V# e8 z2 H/ b: w# U> staff, he offered a question:
; W" z6 X& T1 j; c, }>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: R% d9 J" r3 }# Z/ J! M+ }> 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?'
; Q7 S8 d/ [# V2 }2 S$ d5 @& B>
  b7 j/ M# i& O0 U+ I> The audience was stilled by the query.
& a9 A8 R2 J7 N' f9 Y>
# ?4 b; K7 J0 r- R. l7 l> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
( B* t  a, T' S3 h9 A+ h> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
& u) M2 h' _* L0 T- P: |2 T> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
! [+ Q) t; ?2 j: c8 v( R7 J7 e> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
& @6 o3 u" Y7 h5 I2 b$ T> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
" i: D6 i6 n4 B3 I6 ^# B# Y> 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,
# v- |, J* ]! t! I> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
, L, B: `; f- T8 p5 C! k> 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
$ O  e! W: r2 r  H* j! n> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
; n" r* ^: r! L6 e9 O* u> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
' z9 D+ v2 @3 M" o% m8 e>
> 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
> 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
4 n& v* X) o2 `# f; B> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
. @! P4 `+ @8 @$ B5 E; w8 U7 I> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
/ h  L0 `! y* m! J9 a/ r> next at bat.
$ k" L9 \: ~; D+ ^5 N>
+ B6 {" e7 }' T% ?6 N> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
' g, T- V" U/ S+ D: h0 o> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
5 U; d. L3 G* l. B> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
3 P. m) Y, N: J7 _> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 m$ g' U# l( C% D9 Z1 U> 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
5 o# r5 j% g! X0 `0 n, u( |% E* Y> 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.
% k3 u4 k4 o# ^5 `5 h+ y" k> 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
( U( p( x7 z" B8 N1 i+ l> 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
- p/ p3 K; [! l6 D> 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,
( D5 E# p' Y9 w* Z, Y; f; s/ r> wide-eyed and startled.
>
# e6 z. y7 W+ Z# `* l% @> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; S% y6 z; E& `> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
$ j/ n$ P" _" X> 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
% J/ b6 n2 Z: n4 `> 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
& B0 h; Y( ^2 t. H> circled the bases toward home.
+ s- \# Z' M2 Y7 s! j>
  N! k' O  \! {& H" ]> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
( }- u5 c- j4 `+ i* ]' f! S6 H% {>
4 l9 P9 R. s3 p/ L: g4 ?> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" Q& {, c- t; P4 q4 B> 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
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
9 A9 D& k. o2 c0 A* P. C: n4 y> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
+ I% x5 |0 A0 W+ E9 b>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
' v" l4 s" z% W> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
; Z* Y$ X! K" V> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
! q. y) U4 h5 g. O  l/ i) ~3 `> 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
" i! z) c- |* d% R& N; j. k. e* H> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
/ c/ z7 i5 o# S4 v( |> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
1 |/ u+ U* A+ ]2 F; f4 c0 f2 Y> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
& Q- h% [9 A# y/ |/ d> '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
( i) L% U9 N. V> 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
> bit colder in the process?
' A  s, j& V* A7 ~( `/ G>
1 n: p" z% @$ t' L: N> A wise man once said every society is judged by
) [) A/ K( w8 _: \> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
2 }- U: [* Q5 [>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
% L) |# f5 x/ s0 x> 2. Forward
>
: y" u- \, x$ N7 b5 i> May your day, be a Shay Day.