Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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4 j' U$ z$ [4 m$ R! M% t3 D0 ~+ @> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  ]$ s8 g# l; x9 o' s4 _1 A. u> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> 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
6 v, l2 L" o5 v# b) o  U> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
2 F, g0 Q0 Z  n" W/ h> staff, he offered a question:
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% u- X9 b" B4 u5 a8 r1 L" S> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' e! N: G5 o1 ]! K4 L6 n8 e$ q> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
* ~  p! r- v. n2 }! G4 d- j2 m/ e: Q> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
" Q6 N" q- Q) @6 ~4 G* N> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  [4 n# s% k+ o, S9 h> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
" `" [; N8 Z& L8 Y, D% s> treat that child.'
>
5 ^1 H: f* O) h9 G0 N  h4 b> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
! N( N# ]6 O3 S3 b. E> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
+ r7 V% p5 l* E, h> 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,
; ~0 z5 h. U8 X& f7 G. @4 [2 ^1 `> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
3 p/ A6 K1 F7 b0 b- u+ b5 m> 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
5 Q  F2 L: B$ m7 @" I, A> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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) M" h  Z" Y$ T0 x4 F> 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
. m2 F; c0 U& x% t- F, n> 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
* d! A2 a& q9 j8 b6 g- }0 O8 m% n> 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
3 U' M' `6 ^8 k$ b& I$ I1 {> 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
# p. F1 a: H- {  N5 [* `9 K> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; z0 a9 S2 P/ T( y; x' l> 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,
7 w7 `; k2 I- h# s& k( {> much less connect with the ball.
! G6 g3 x7 d: }4 p, G> 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
+ T% ~2 r; ?8 y. u* i' E5 C, Y> 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
0 N0 z$ |$ ^$ M; b# s> 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.
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0 d: \1 J3 S* J! X6 s4 A> 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
- h) C' Y3 s, R4 H/ [> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
  Q) T/ b0 k/ r& _, l8 X> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ x1 H% x, p, ]' _# \5 l" j. L> 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
> 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
% `% Y3 \3 ~, B/ B# y" R> 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
1 c0 E1 F) z: [5 _5 Q9 k4 j, Z> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
( {6 Z% d: U& K; c9 K/ a. k# R2 G> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
; V& c9 T  [' N; ^3 {> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
. a% `+ {# f- l> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
' V  b4 j" j. \; O9 P# j> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
: p2 P6 T, B' r* @& R% S' e> 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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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
- G4 n' `$ l5 Q/ ^0 E> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> 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!
>
> 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
& q, @2 B, q( Y+ v3 O& I> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
+ Y4 A: @+ w! {> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
2 I8 M, d6 y+ ~  W7 s1 t. g6 Q>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# N0 m( V2 M1 f8 @% {> 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
7 |# s/ ^% M, x3 L: {. q> 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
. J" X2 I% Z8 n4 U2 Z2 K, [) g> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
3 Q- L- a6 @/ I: d( B/ k' w2 O; D> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
% q; [& j* m3 L. s" y& F> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% n$ D: n% J+ O# v3 U> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
$ c& j! `6 v) s> 1. Delete
8 H1 B- e5 E; f8 s$ k> 2. Forward
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: M# E. z7 k; m" V; ]  f> May your day, be a Shay Day.