Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 ?% \( A- a, Y7 `> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" b2 w: b0 W7 ?/ p9 K9 }> 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:
>
8 b  [9 [& [& M/ A3 J( ]> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 c% q: N0 D+ P* x! V# _! w9 L" M> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 V! `, f) {; x, y. P- ?3 y2 o/ T7 _# L> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
7 H; |: J; @# w4 Z& E! L8 D> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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4 ]  s4 N: |1 I) Q/ q+ F) j> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  |( p8 _' X# ?" I> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
& B- Y. \( `1 V% E0 V. |$ D/ y> treat that child.'
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* v; N) Z8 s0 Y> Then he told the following story:
>
1 n# H  z) J" V8 G> 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
2 x5 U# b/ F. w& ?( m5 x> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
( k& U' k+ y* p" D- a> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
! F: O/ m: r" }> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
& Q3 p# I  a6 C0 Y> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 Y0 l, E5 |2 r' g> 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
- a; @: B2 S% e+ l0 }> inning.'
>
0 h7 F0 T4 `6 T> 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
2 P+ N0 c$ G8 I$ s" N! I> 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
) W$ u- p9 C; C: d( 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
7 K  u  d9 h! D2 O' v> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
, _  w- d# M& G, ]4 s> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 T5 z4 r& F" y5 [" o> 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
% q" {$ a( _$ j& ~* n' k, b> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
% L) U" N$ x# `5 w> 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
0 k0 w/ e' d$ F, E& j" g# K> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 Y3 L. e( O. p. n! L> 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.
>
1 q5 v. b8 d" m; s6 V% a- E0 ]8 I> 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
7 O  R$ M% F. h  o4 l, `> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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0 r' q: y, ^: q) q+ |; [> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
' o- y, L  P) ?! S& l> 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
; Q/ v& |7 f6 `, R> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
7 v" Z5 u0 i* ~$ R  B> 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
: n: J0 g4 M1 o: f4 ?> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
+ Z# H+ _/ ~% T2 i> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
+ I3 A5 n$ e5 o9 t* f! \( A$ i# |> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
# K* _3 o" g% t$ o! r7 \> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 X: [; [" r$ l6 i$ }> 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
* i8 S0 w9 b2 ?5 L> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
) A0 e. `* z+ a6 f) ]> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
$ ]1 h& i$ h$ P5 Y+ z2 l> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
! N$ P$ A  S2 |) T% Q8 H) w: }. x9 f> 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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( E7 O+ C. ~9 I4 g1 x> 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
0 s% o8 u  J, h. U; o( D, v6 d5 E> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
5 X+ ~3 g+ v) D" m> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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! A. H( u2 M+ v) X> 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
* S: ?- E" @) E( M3 ~4 a> 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
> 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
6 p2 s6 J& x4 r5 b; u, O8 r> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
. W1 d! f. m6 [7 c7 s+ G" `. P> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
* I9 ^& k) M% K. G: x( l9 E> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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; I0 p& R3 f1 |2 G8 S: u/ u> May your day, be a Shay Day.