Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
( `6 ^& U+ H9 e+ O6 k# {6 ]> same choice?
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0 U1 Z, z2 t3 ]1 f" r% y> 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
) V& \( p2 ]) f- A6 z) |% I> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
# D. ?$ Q7 ?0 ^2 ?$ H> staff, he offered a question:
>
& U3 `, I; ]; M; G% w> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 ~5 N: ]9 k& p0 m8 C  W- }> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
* c. c9 E' N/ r; q> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
. s% J$ k; C* y9 v  X( `> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> 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.'
>
1 w5 {" w0 C% _9 @> Then he told the following story:
>
1 S7 E0 ^1 M$ ]- M> 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
' i5 _5 u% m! s) ~% @! M> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
1 W5 R8 H9 v- n3 P$ d& C> 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 @) S( B0 Q! Z6 `" q! J> 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 d1 D' i: \+ N- J& y: b3 l0 i' b> 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.'
>
7 Z' U2 t3 I* v4 o, F  b) j> 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
5 u9 F9 a" J5 g9 D/ f& c> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
5 _" l$ H: C7 z/ X, ^> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
# M& i5 n  l7 P6 }9 q  ~# ?: D> 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
& e9 d- ]* I" q5 K3 J> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
$ E6 Z$ I: P' B9 r/ t# f> 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
/ W( d4 z7 l5 ~2 E4 H) o& {> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
: J5 j3 P( l+ h9 c2 U5 t! B> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
- e1 ?- V* H& y( O) D5 N: B> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
+ a6 i& T9 Y; c3 p4 J: a4 r5 d> 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.
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  K* F$ _) Y( l2 M4 P( ?  R3 \7 C> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
5 s/ t8 j, ~! S! T9 e> 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
, \, I' V2 ~6 C) |3 ?. k> 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,
& R4 J+ O+ a2 a- m! ~> wide-eyed and startled.
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5 Z; h) S7 [0 u- N$ [> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
* @+ r% p% C/ }6 t9 q% q3 }! W> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
5 `; i6 b3 Y$ J> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
& K9 n5 r6 C  I4 w3 k! ^> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
! ]8 K2 K# d, w9 Z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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) ?1 `7 b) B7 e0 ]% f0 H) g> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ A6 R' c- f% X) w/ t/ D> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
/ [" c  N$ X/ c" X- h> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
8 ^% `$ \" L: U/ g7 D5 s> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
/ X& Y7 T, o1 W4 M3 O" J> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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$ w# I9 w* \7 u> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
& G: P9 y3 Y& q) w1 I5 h6 t> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
: J4 L3 \2 Q& c' ~' c> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
; b+ A; t! B7 `: E8 ?$ P6 N> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
  v' `( A' x# J" H. V- W> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
& F& h8 v' T. R6 d0 {> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
9 H1 G0 _$ T! j0 \4 {- E% c; Y> 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?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 \/ j3 L; ?0 t' ?* B> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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3 @2 x; G1 W6 {3 \2 L3 P! I) u> You now have two choices:
; A$ |0 X, }9 @3 T9 R% X2 r! r> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
& a. h. g( {1 L3 ~2 V6 p9 a9 w2 r> May your day, be a Shay Day.