Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 @+ e6 `. ~6 n1 y) [: B  E> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
- A4 U$ m' b0 ]- Y4 d' r! k> same choice?
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* e4 H* y1 |" v> 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
# F! Y( d+ p) J7 y( c> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
1 L0 V; N2 v7 _. T$ o/ K> The audience was stilled by the query.
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, h: @, ^1 b" I# ^4 J2 K. i( S1 U> 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
7 \- @+ _' K& o7 c/ o% T> treat that child.'
>
: `, \9 c1 U, m> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
4 v+ ~' g8 t( L; ~1 i> 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,
. ~8 \) G, _" o! \3 T7 e/ w' ~> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> 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
, v9 r) Z4 a* Z$ o- e. `/ w( d> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
! b5 k5 v  f$ }3 o> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
; Z, J0 X& L9 R# 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
5 m9 |+ u' N" l> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
# |+ Q0 K  B4 w> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
( s2 R8 [8 {- I, J5 q. c> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
6 u) ^6 ^1 O$ r" }. `, s> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
# W2 V5 r0 B6 h% m7 U+ d! f$ C> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
8 ]4 _- \, ?. t3 ]> 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,
; [) \6 p4 [- Y; s) D$ o> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
# c. P' F0 ^  e- O0 o1 p$ N$ w+ {> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
  V# z; g; Y" }6 [* f> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
. m- t( [3 o' y  y: t> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
% b! L1 d2 ^# T( x# C  r> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
% X6 R3 C6 _, k5 t> 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
> 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
6 j/ a( e( f4 A> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
0 \3 O% X1 e" Z$ s1 S3 {7 C7 R> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
" a$ w+ x4 f2 N) b# [) j8 `2 o) c( l> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> 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
! {1 K1 n- H9 P* T- o> 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
4 h; x0 ?0 W  t  x' V> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
2 I* c% r  R3 q* c9 ]> circled the bases toward home.
>
; {0 [" U/ a8 g+ ~8 ^> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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6 C* H3 f+ g" S* I* L> 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!
3 Y9 |! C7 g1 M> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 \' h* w5 q' z# ]$ t> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
8 E/ B9 J7 k7 g' c) u1 O> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  Z% c5 n7 |. s2 |0 R+ X> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
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( A' l3 N& D7 [+ J1 s/ o> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ U' d/ b. n; J> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
7 g2 Y5 s0 l  O; {5 o+ o& [  v> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
2 [0 t$ Q8 X( y9 Y4 M) K> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
> 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
0 F3 m& M1 B3 w# [: j> 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
> bit colder in the process?
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* P+ I1 q; O" O> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
$ M5 u$ f- ?; n# I+ x9 e2 K> 2. Forward
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! |" l- ?* {% D  E0 s, @% V. k* {> May your day, be a Shay Day.