Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
, V+ D$ ?' ~: u) h: g/ q7 _> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 p+ b9 O' {% x/ Z> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( s- r9 b& b( w" E: r: l/ M> same choice?
>
* R: @1 M$ D/ p8 {3 ^6 C> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
9 ]7 ]; A2 G$ `4 _' D> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
% _, U/ r% `5 l) K9 `" [! G1 Q+ w  k> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
. @* z& l1 \5 V$ Q4 l> staff, he offered a question:
>
9 _  j& \/ p0 I+ c0 {> '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
) V9 P2 e3 |  N" B# S2 s0 m) T" H" n> natural order of things in my son?'
>
& T* ]2 k& m" N& g- |1 [' @% m- C7 D> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
- r1 \4 p  n" X, F  R1 w, m> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! \2 d" a- l0 x+ k2 E7 J1 N* O> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 z1 o3 y/ K6 e; v, H> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
1 Q& x/ Y# B& e! m. \) G5 R> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
( S$ L; b% r0 ~7 G> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
* x- N8 H: A9 k7 G6 ?( r> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
8 q2 R0 h" E3 C7 q# W> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
2 M% n# G( W5 {7 J/ i$ f& \> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
: v5 o; l! E3 N/ F) s7 H/ s: ^> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
0 t6 r, R) F- Q: ^+ i> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
, q0 v0 C- n4 }9 \" m) ], P> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
; H) Q% P  c* u+ D7 z& m> inning.'
! ~. B) Y0 ?& F1 g0 B7 t- l5 i>
  x. O2 [- r4 V- ~$ U4 T> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
8 G& v9 _! j9 C; 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
5 d( Z' I0 q- e: v/ [9 F* c> 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
% Y5 [7 N2 e+ v> 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
" [$ w1 z& @# m> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
4 W, ~2 t$ G6 ]! Z$ x( p/ a* b> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
  d$ g( a  X) g, n7 o6 ^> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
5 ~5 F& |' y! _> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! p$ x% Y* C; u$ {> 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,
( i' d! H- p$ a0 e> much less connect with the ball.
/ j. l7 Q* ?# C1 u5 H" e: A- a8 v> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: f, u: X) O& |3 U" S% t: F# ^8 b> 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
6 Y0 g5 m: n. l* p. L- a5 o& }9 W9 B> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
0 L3 [. c8 g3 u% ^* k4 r( V) Q> 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.
>
$ b# K9 s) a) L! U> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 G: P: [/ |4 @9 L> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
4 F# @2 `4 F7 L' N. 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
- S7 Q7 I4 T* f4 ~& a> 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.
  Q. s6 D: q3 Y+ ?& H>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 }5 P( t7 I# A! h( K6 l> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
8 ~" R' b! |- g: k> 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
4 S( }1 @1 h4 M> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
3 I7 S" @4 \' k6 Q  m* N: b, k) T2 o> 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.
0 I% l6 I! c) \% G>
4 T0 L( t5 j8 N/ X' `$ j( ~+ p> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
" _( `5 d3 o' ]) G2 w' R; i' Q% h$ _7 ^% I> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( l& S* T$ g0 X3 E> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
! A. h# B3 R1 V: T  H> Shay, run to third!'
7 G+ f- O8 A! f) D. x+ ]>
> 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
* F0 X+ D  j# X> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
* r7 b5 D# Z% r' J: O" ~> game for his team.
) i2 C  u, ]- c9 [- d8 J>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ \$ Q8 b* }$ Z1 I0 V  d> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
8 x, Q- l/ k( ~> into this world'.
0 B4 F8 h. w# \( u9 O9 c: {>
1 m  [, Z. H- X> 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!
% e3 U* k0 m* s- z>
0 }  J+ t. C9 Q2 i2 I> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
/ r2 T5 [4 v& C: T" D. T( D" i9 O> 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
1 s& c! D  w* p( |& i' r3 P; B> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
4 C! P3 ?3 g+ b- h> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 X1 s% s2 x  s) }> 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
. n9 M" |2 }5 [% v% P> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
3 @/ S6 w$ a' y, T> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
8 ^0 z! p) ?9 D> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
$ m- `* n4 g; [5 W* X> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
" D/ o# t* p0 c" c* O: J' f> bit colder in the process?
8 n3 u) r8 m1 e>
, w' h0 k% A8 D" b. x; Y> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
- l- F5 G! x4 N2 a: H* I# J> You now have two choices:
$ R6 C6 L. y$ g7 Q> 1. Delete
2 ]) b  a  Z% H; |$ D/ T: Y& N. o> 2. Forward
# ]6 C1 F! u, U8 _8 J; x6 ]+ ~>
6 z) A5 O, s$ o! `> May your day, be a Shay Day.