Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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. Z' o; I* v. ~  ]0 {, s% k> 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 C5 H" L( k0 g. F8 x5 C" E+ R> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
! G1 _, @- O9 r) n) m4 Q. O> 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
( C: F- C1 s0 b7 y8 w% |9 m- ^> 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
8 w: u, J9 i4 B. j& T) `> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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' I6 G! \0 H+ ^( G3 F/ q. }" f6 |> The audience was stilled by the query.
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# S, v2 F2 n  \# `4 U> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
0 M- D+ \; i+ r' T# x3 c/ |> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 e/ i* }7 o5 H9 w> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
2 c+ _5 d: P- f, N0 Y> treat that child.'
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7 a+ s1 O' ?% k; P: A  V- a> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
5 y- r8 O2 T% t8 H5 u$ }> 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
7 u' q$ a8 q% }> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
/ i) E5 w0 r# B; v+ c' w4 g/ v7 i> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
3 _8 n3 S8 u, R1 l% }0 Y) a> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
, p. u; `9 [( b! T> inning.'
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7 {8 }7 w3 c) _0 E7 ~% }9 X, M; ]> 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
& {6 G6 |* L+ M1 n6 |) g> 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
5 X( }1 h3 A7 I& ^( l# f2 c> 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
9 S3 Y, N9 i1 |3 ~> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
( J  W( P; p6 ^- N& X& _& _> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
  {1 M; G! M* u* t7 G> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
) m2 M" w$ C- f: ?, y! D! C> 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
" _6 c. K  _0 c3 R> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
, a: ?' S0 B( e> much less connect with the ball.
# h7 c, u: J! X> 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.
, C* G1 x; l7 R! M' q> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' N1 x# x) n/ F" a* t$ R> right back to the pitcher.
>
! K! y# b# X4 j- m, \' J> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) W0 }' C  K. Y& c; ?! p% o> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
# u, f# D$ @. ?  v- z# O> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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0 N( R* B& X* P# J6 u. \  y& F! {1 s> 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
+ }1 c7 k8 D- r" @9 i> 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,
) i0 D* b  }" y# q> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) P5 g8 P: @( N> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
- s6 x8 ^& b5 B# o* `> 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
2 u; ^6 I' p/ J> 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
/ M9 K( P! y5 N! y> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
$ ^% V. j( s/ C4 m> circled the bases toward home.
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" B" v9 T; H1 S) @8 k% A> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
- o8 F$ I6 g! W3 b> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
4 e$ g6 o  L2 v$ f1 y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
" D. D- E' T! ^, `3 A) ~> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 g4 U* y$ ^  K+ p> 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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9 \4 z1 X0 v. o6 B9 _; y> '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
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% K- K) u' z& {" C2 j0 S- `/ G8 B> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
6 P' E2 ]3 x2 ^8 F  _> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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# {9 E9 u& y! x> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
/ _4 P/ D' B2 P- N8 _6 z' W0 Y> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
( e5 c! U: h( m7 H/ q  K> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
& s( X& R) S: H+ p> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: Y1 [0 [# s" i$ ]# 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
( m* \/ N( J9 @  _; N+ O> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
4 E2 w5 r4 H! q# B> 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
# ~; I) T+ _4 o* u" I, l> 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
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.