Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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9 J; K7 g' H0 O' X0 m> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
1 S: g& y& e4 r# z> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
9 P- R6 F' x. w; }+ \5 w1 j- D> same choice?
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$ P& `2 p5 K  l) [5 n3 w% R' j% c> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# @8 t8 z. B/ a8 D! M> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
1 L- D4 v" f* Z% V) ^4 F  O4 Y& K> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; k4 W1 h* L* l> 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
( x- o/ ?- U  Q* ?/ S! e0 Z  O( O> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
" f, h6 F8 \4 [9 l! ~7 r- ~; G% V> 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
> treat that child.'
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$ |& @( M" y8 H) P3 `7 V> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
; s9 h% G5 S; ^> 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.
>
3 o/ J( q0 A5 w$ H% E* F> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
% [, r2 ^( g  A: ]8 |) h8 D  @1 I> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 h( F) ~% i, v3 @5 m: z' K> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
" n$ L  P! O  E: ]> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
! ~8 \( f  ]- h- X- p: c) p> 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
> 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
2 y8 |) y3 ^) {4 h> 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
7 ?: ]1 C$ v* w- x. \> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
9 N, `3 O. t! ]4 P- T> 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,
; W6 u4 q+ m. g  G$ k, C' N$ [; R> much less connect with the ball.
1 z/ q/ J" c. g> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
' m: S% j, y2 T9 d) k> 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
  @) V1 @% C( A> 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.
8 {0 q# I( J* V% t# @/ q, F6 t8 w> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
8 l( ~/ A9 i' h8 F5 b# W# y/ I+ \> right back to the pitcher.
>
% \( u& j% u' \! h0 B7 ^> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 y) w% }; L& }7 D" g& b) U/ @> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
+ a$ g& L% X% n, Y+ P; s. i> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
! Q! F$ y. D8 l# j5 m5 F, Y: P2 O> 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
8 O( k# O7 z$ o+ Y& E> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
$ U6 o) U$ N/ c5 T> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
4 J+ q( C5 J, B5 O  V7 w> 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
+ L1 I9 a7 `, T; T5 [> 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!
4 {7 b. K: H" m: Q* o> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
  u2 I0 d# I3 m> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
$ C- `9 E; @/ p0 I> game for his team.
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3 N. x& e! p9 c> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
4 n: z8 A$ X2 @) t+ ~# O> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
2 X: x1 z/ F  V3 Y2 }> into this world'.
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' S% J7 b+ @( T$ P  _8 ?2 l> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
0 F! G8 R, t! C& Z6 w9 u$ y> 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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' }* F% v6 y5 X; k8 K9 c4 ~> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
7 e" X) l5 K! m" y& \# i+ q: n> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
$ {0 v: ^# F% k! k5 k4 y> 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
3 i6 u' {+ P: A> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
3 h9 Q7 V) g0 ]9 Z% k> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
* b  e2 Q; R( K+ g1 }. Q- D  d0 ?> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
5 }& X1 \! C, s' I4 z# h! ]8 U> 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
$ j3 {, o  [: V1 a> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
. F0 S( f; i0 b& p( i> A wise man once said every society is judged by
! U# \$ b$ k/ \> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
# J6 P3 b, Y# S- ]6 a) @> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
! v' z3 j& h+ x& M2 G2 S1 o> May your day, be a Shay Day.