Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
, H/ Z( J9 k* H7 v$ _! m> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 k( D- g# ~. \! l5 z3 D> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
) ~$ Q8 }+ F$ o, P> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
+ ^1 P7 \0 m2 Y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
- U. Z) r# g: j9 x>
$ t% W9 x8 g9 M3 _> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 ^$ W3 @: |$ U> 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
. z$ ^; x4 f1 R& P, b6 D$ ~> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
$ u9 K0 Q3 D: p7 P" f8 w. }> 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.'
>
5 n! I0 }3 z' R+ t9 n% t; l3 t> Then he told the following story:
3 R3 j3 g6 A4 G>
> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
! P4 f) j9 b9 }' d9 _( w> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
; Y; ?; Q2 [' V% [- t> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
: p3 v4 B, Z& \- C7 C  u- W* L> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
, x6 @" a- W4 q! _. V> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
7 j2 [% W$ h5 h! [> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
/ C2 K  a6 Z& b4 x, Q# ~* O> inning.'
>
% U" |6 J1 |  V+ D% v1 @6 A4 K" _$ S> 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
8 y* Y$ E9 c; n2 \# |4 ~> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
$ z- o! m6 ?7 f5 @> 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
; s+ C8 ~! ~) m' E, _> 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
* d: T: {3 j5 T> 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
> next at bat.
, j: h5 u: C6 K* r+ L# X% S>
5 S2 m' g9 T: V> 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.
* y  ?, E- J9 H0 F9 S> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: e" R; R) V% @/ F> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
2 L6 g# A4 e4 y* {7 L> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
1 {" k$ I1 ~( O" r: }> 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
* K; F( G3 r. m2 ~& ~! b  {# w> right back to the pitcher.
>
# s  v: l! Q  e9 r1 i: P- r> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
1 B1 ]7 p: Z. Y- i4 g1 M9 Z> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
+ ^0 X) ?7 ]: b3 {* _. M> 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
, ]# ~8 k7 q$ S: b% k8 {& L> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( q" D4 V4 u0 F5 M2 c0 v% t> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
/ W- \0 w: l0 p1 }- a! q* B5 ^> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
0 R7 p! \& @. m) H> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
% [0 D: x2 y5 b( n> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
2 \* r: j; Q0 C0 y$ T4 B1 T> 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
3 L3 Z  x1 Q8 y> 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
" s" l. A" Y$ A1 A. D> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
& L9 Y. g9 `" A$ U> circled the bases toward home.
% b% D" @8 x0 O# {( m>
+ y0 c& X- I$ ^& T* T. p; `9 `> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- C  F) l/ g; x0 H4 b+ b- ~> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
# z- B' g+ n' h6 S% V, m>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 k; q1 ~& K1 |! d" L> 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
, R; `: a7 D4 M2 A4 H; k7 r8 p> game for his team.
>
$ d% I  e& t/ `, i> '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'.
; c, ~5 H7 I# ]>
( n! N8 ]1 i. w6 Z) M6 j! f' `+ J  o5 m> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 a/ n4 c+ G% r7 [! W- P. b> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
) @3 w- t3 Q9 X1 x4 B> 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
  h; e2 [2 e+ w. Q4 ^; ~> 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
$ C+ D# Y# I/ i+ B0 E> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
! C/ \  P2 R; a2 K>
> 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
! E: u: ?  q/ I1 b$ l- q> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
; w1 i' F8 ?& B2 L( h> 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
3 g+ r7 o: v  S+ X> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
6 F8 P$ I1 g/ a$ c; L* Z9 `$ ^) Z> bit colder in the process?
0 Q, p7 I) d8 e* S>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
4 ?! v! k# U1 _9 i2 \1 Y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
& ~3 W# G: ~, H( s4 r> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
0 o8 l9 r. r4 Z& K> 2. Forward
& }" K! p6 B$ b>
) b+ }& S2 k8 u: W% @( B/ k- f! ]- Y* C* D> May your day, be a Shay Day.