Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
' v' ?. u; V* V3 [7 v* w3 A1 M> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. V4 e$ q( I2 z1 h2 z; F> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
* v3 @# ?# {- ^1 J+ A7 y0 X> 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
+ ?( C7 H8 j$ X4 R  y# D> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
! \2 F  g, [, U4 c% |' e>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 G- ^  M9 i2 Q3 Q; u2 i" r> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
+ |2 M9 Z2 ]3 Q) {8 e/ Y> natural order of things in my son?'
>
0 b6 a, A! g9 E' B; z1 e> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
4 c: r9 Q& r$ e# V6 s8 N> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
1 u: [( O" Y" n9 ^7 _& i# g>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
/ h, p" V1 |! d> 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
* H$ M& G# F* K3 C$ o0 y4 F: e1 G/ a> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 i/ Q* @% b$ B. N2 i% k- e7 k. Y> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
: f+ a) Q9 H" ^> 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
. A# h2 l: O$ I) k> 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
# b2 [; [% ^5 o, m: l4 V> 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
2 ?1 U' ^, y5 p# I3 @> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
0 z- V, x  J# r. \" ?$ k> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
+ n! Z" B! N/ F$ K0 `' A3 U> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
! l* d4 B1 }6 K1 |6 @/ _: T+ X  L> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
8 \* P$ R% v+ `+ S' [, a+ z7 T> next at bat.
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2 f8 D! g0 o. a! p4 L. X, m> 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
' n& k( y: ?- v% F5 B> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
! |$ Z& T8 g7 S> 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
9 ~0 S  u, |. y, h> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
2 N# B* T& I  w( V1 w- X+ E9 o> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
% G" W5 S  M6 w( |% U: c> right back to the pitcher.
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. B# v. p0 F% G. O( s$ Q- u+ s8 x> 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
( u# H- e, B. b7 c> out and that would have been the end of the game.
$ t% `1 D, U1 v& A7 W/ v) h>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
. d+ Q4 x5 s7 J4 \2 h' z> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
' `0 |! w9 [) r> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
* O7 F! ^6 n+ }) A9 H$ T# I> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
$ M7 o9 W* f( \" o> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> 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
; m. u/ F6 k" Y2 }/ |> 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
7 \, [$ F3 A, I( a2 \> 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'
>
2 n+ i$ b/ p& v6 D. f> 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!
1 M& o# b" x, o# [, V+ S> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
5 d& F2 L7 x$ y# b: j. V> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
0 p9 h) R/ P6 T( z: M> game for his team.
>
: d* l' n! l" o* ]) b- }: w> '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'.
2 ~+ U- H# G5 _- M; x. k  m>
> 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
3 w2 R# D1 D- Z$ O( `! u( q> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* }8 k$ m% A) F6 D4 a$ ^> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
  q$ v$ n* u, W- h> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
! U. w5 l2 m1 C* P> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
6 J  J  s: U. p& J> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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% K: w  {; ?: K> 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
! \( z) S0 V( v> '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
" v, @8 L& ^- {0 X; ~* ]> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 T1 h% q6 u& n2 V> 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
& V) ]7 t' t+ ~! H; H> bit colder in the process?
1 G7 w3 b' U) @  k% o/ {# D9 A>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
: }$ W7 G, j" L, J  a1 O' h> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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0 e6 x# b  D- P9 D" y: A( e> May your day, be a Shay Day.