Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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  f9 w/ U/ l+ Q$ Q, U* ?& z> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 r- `/ ?# |! n1 ]3 Y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
0 m, m" ?6 I8 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
- a8 S0 @, m' k/ m* b# `- }6 u  X> staff, he offered a question:
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> '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
# v8 `: L" N9 D3 ^> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
$ O: c9 B* A( E) \% O" F" [- @6 j> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
6 l% l+ f6 }+ q> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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: N. |  E" e" l/ e- g$ l> 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
! G4 |! ]% f6 d; p- e( G! S  K> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
- n. A7 S% t6 S, @$ l) l% R> 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.
>
" R: j7 F$ e% M+ j9 l( U9 z& x> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# v8 j2 _8 J& w/ x* j- Y. z> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
8 A" j3 ^9 k1 m1 I" O9 C> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
; [* B) W; Y6 S4 m  m- T1 l7 u> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
7 A" I# R" p1 E* ^& {: Z1 z5 S> inning.'
>
> 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
+ `2 l0 k7 `' ]: m> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
, ^9 T4 `$ y/ U" A7 B$ J8 V/ S> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
1 Z/ r- ]# Z& @7 z+ P9 w- |> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
! x. f$ _; H% A- i" c> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
' [3 ]  h9 R4 w- \1 F> 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
4 T  ^( @) E; B/ G! g4 t/ l, O> 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
( J$ S" n+ `  a, ^. |> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
6 d- }+ K6 X4 P) c+ O/ h> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 [! {4 w) n* R0 x> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
8 e  b5 A  ?5 f> 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
/ _7 D4 V1 U! X+ C2 q" u9 `- @: M> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
" w4 i) _# g! X9 [> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
. k; |1 |, q, a2 ~> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
; V- P$ g( p0 l" `- {+ i> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
% _2 N! i* z% L- H9 |5 K9 Q> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 A; v. ^% q5 g5 h> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
/ s( }, A& V7 `$ i> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
: ^# M7 A; `$ b) k> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
: e8 J0 D3 a& x  g( ~8 \: }> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" P- `3 z0 o6 F' M- a2 S$ k> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
+ G0 S4 @* U- A8 `0 D9 V7 D5 d! e% C> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
& H- P( F5 `3 M1 a& ~% m> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
9 t! @# d1 e% k8 ]4 v2 {) ?> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
: z+ A8 o  C3 t7 {5 w> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
9 n5 X  @$ e  e. C( N% }7 c4 h5 i> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
: u4 D6 n$ ?/ P' Q0 y6 _# p> into this world'.
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! H% m! ?2 s" j! g; V- x> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) s1 s, w' }, Q> 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!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
% b8 A# B; p3 V( G) E> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
: |! ]) c5 g, b6 D3 b> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
2 b2 k; x& ^8 W/ h7 f> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
" J5 e( b* @% h- G4 C- ?5 U* I> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
# d! W% k% e2 r5 y> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
- V8 S7 \9 |2 D4 t3 ^0 F4 \, l: P> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
4 r2 J/ P0 }2 U3 ~) m; D/ O+ l> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
8 p, n- Q8 U1 x( r9 h# o> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 L1 l( s4 I% z, ?5 o6 C> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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+ M0 @; y6 O  Z1 N; c' O5 a> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
# |( `3 B- R  M4 R> 2. Forward
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9 X" s, N! a$ m> May your day, be a Shay Day.