Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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8 k' o: H/ {4 @' X( d, Z> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
8 Z1 ~! ~9 [( F7 r- h> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
2 _  m; e  o% S& {4 q8 V> same choice?
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> 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
( d1 _9 ?6 j* @; a/ o> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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; ]5 ]2 ]4 ]+ `9 U> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
7 H# T  a' R' e: g, ~' Z& m> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
7 U5 t* `& @! U6 X, I7 F& Y$ @> 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
; y1 L. b% D3 Y$ L2 M> treat that child.'
>
2 L2 U# U# i+ f" _0 [: y0 y> Then he told the following story:
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7 D& p$ _+ \$ t0 n+ p> 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
> 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.
>
' b! L- b) A+ N/ \0 w> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
$ h' o& x8 M2 ~7 C2 c! F: [> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- ~, L+ _- p7 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
1 U+ H0 q: R# E> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
5 {8 R* `, P% f# e5 G8 j( f> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
% N9 ?7 ]+ |* Z( @* y; T5 d> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
, |' D% q& p  }  b> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
. {! W, o" h% M) u, \+ Q. V> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
3 q% o, _* \# ^: D$ l5 O> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
, ]7 v9 N7 b7 h5 Z/ R> 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
> 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.
% I. B- R. d, W4 X' `8 s> 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
> 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.
  ]' E6 X& K0 f! r- R8 P% O+ D> 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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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( ~9 p2 V$ y0 |* {4 S$ u> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
2 x5 S, [; \2 r, [) w% u> 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
% |+ u/ ^* N+ g; y0 ~, Z$ u) {> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
: l4 _! q& K5 u8 W/ ?" e  e8 y> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
/ C" R* ?  z8 p! _6 h, p> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
+ L& O. Y4 J7 ~  C# c> 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
( @. g' f; e1 q> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
$ B4 `2 R* n* b/ [4 `4 A# E> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
) E5 W# c8 w# P$ \, ~) p. h> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
% R& n' D4 J) I6 r> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!'
>
) x9 M6 q8 f' I9 y5 |5 o% g> 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
> game for his team.
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* C8 a+ P- P7 p> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 k% \' A( Y: n' P+ u> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
1 i3 E6 d! l3 r( V, Y$ q> into this world'.
>
, K2 g, F* t9 D5 k. ~# N6 o> 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!
>
" {9 c- F1 q: T' 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
+ U4 H0 A* K- j( |8 t0 Y5 k> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
- L6 q2 t$ z- }  G2 d7 z/ h> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
( W0 g+ J  E- ~> 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
' P) y  C$ P6 e/ b6 Q> 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
> 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
# O! d9 S5 g' z+ @  Q& D> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
5 }8 D2 g8 g5 P2 h. Z> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
3 f6 `+ U3 c" n* x1 S% ?6 g" _> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.