Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 ?5 v' C/ \/ `  m/ d1 E> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
* ?+ y3 E* i* Y  w> same choice?
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; G! @& m( r7 d: i4 X; B. r> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ ?) S% \; q4 D4 i7 H6 c" X* p' h$ 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
" j+ N% Z' m" U. `! W5 p> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
  u8 k" B" V( T3 L9 R0 ~> 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
8 j. q( p' _& t! _; R> natural order of things in my son?'
>
7 O  h0 S* {4 q* A; n: ^> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
6 T- I7 \4 h" I* u5 ]6 K& X$ _> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% b8 [6 g" E) H5 j/ V- a( Q> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
- g* ^8 |  g1 I> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
$ i; ^; j+ j9 ~  m# j- h> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
2 q1 }& x5 L; ^# u> 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
7 O% }1 S( s, @& H2 W' ]* U+ l> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
! I' A6 P7 R8 j> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 j' e7 @0 k* A& R6 v> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
6 \; g% ?. l* X7 i  d, r$ T! \, s' h> 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
3 r8 L3 l6 A0 Z- f$ H1 }/ `, ]1 B> 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
) ~; ?/ H! K) B: q$ a> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
$ S- }% b' _8 B9 Q1 K) ^> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
0 C! ]6 j2 h6 I" D> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
2 M+ s' z/ Z* J0 g+ J$ @, V+ r> 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
0 |9 j- u% m5 H# ~5 \2 h1 d> 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
9 C/ k% @1 I: S$ ?7 e9 X> 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
3 u4 i1 j( Z2 T" m* Z' E) t> right back to the pitcher.
>
2 f6 A( A) }( f" y( q> 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
> 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
' h: e+ ?3 n7 A7 g' ~2 `* }> 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
' t, {. |5 M9 X- n+ q0 L! a> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
' r0 {" t3 J. q7 Z9 ^* e, g9 M> 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.
>
6 V; b7 I' @% P> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
4 P  N( m7 H+ ]# Q> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
) B6 S2 S2 x5 Q2 {2 M: X> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
) t6 y+ j0 L5 W2 i4 y> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
+ u( U& u$ G/ |% U* H4 O" F0 f- z" ^> game for his team.
>
7 d& R' r" g% s! a4 Z> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
: E6 E6 p, m0 U! u& {: a/ D* ^> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
6 b- r5 E# Q8 |6 d( a0 N> into this world'.
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4 v9 Z) S$ w% x8 k; p; g* }; K> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 b. G7 ^( w, l1 w/ M) y2 R> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
5 W, y- o+ m$ n2 `2 e, f) O: T7 n> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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9 _5 K1 N  w1 z7 ?5 d% J> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
6 m* `! U1 ~9 b0 i: C$ Y* p> 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
> 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
) m: _" }. n3 G> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
4 g' Y4 d; b8 R* H0 j0 u6 t> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
4 z6 F- N. x7 W) m> 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 wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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3 L$ _; l$ W  i3 N& m3 [> You now have two choices:
5 p1 x+ j8 Z' Q> 1. Delete
" d( r& Z8 r  O2 a! M6 C> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.