Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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  I* t0 Y- L, y3 h& b3 G> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  a9 j4 ~& q0 G> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
# m& `) Q! X/ c4 o) S; [> 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
# H% s, H& D, e* D8 k> staff, he offered a question:
>
: D# b% X- g% I# q: w& z5 h$ S* b5 i% q> '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
9 C* k' G) T3 C  q: j> natural order of things in my son?'
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8 j: V; [- M3 {3 x' P! ]- P> 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 y; B& h" e' O2 Y/ d! V> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
0 C: m: n0 z( K> treat that child.'
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> 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
2 v4 M! I5 _6 j: ?> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
2 X0 H1 M2 t! l) z# L  Y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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/ K. P' f6 i; X3 k7 D' o> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
) P5 e% Z) h0 h> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
# [! l( p& h! P3 }" S2 K> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
0 t0 f7 H& M) ^" M> 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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> 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
, B4 e( c. O- m, c3 U& p> 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
' o( }  Y% ?1 r+ F: a( ], A& v3 r> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 W+ Z1 v+ D' ?3 L> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
4 f( \7 p: F' L# p- Q0 I0 t" r> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
+ R6 b& E* M0 L% W) ^/ W> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
# ?1 h6 q" D! z: M! O2 b> next at bat.
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$ j% q! @( z. _$ E! X& A> 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
8 u6 H5 S2 V8 [# L& S% K> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
, I% p0 p4 R6 T7 ?) ~> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
) G/ ]% ^* x" u* w> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
' |$ J$ O: O6 q; @) A  |' z6 K( g> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; q1 C/ I- k5 a  o> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
' v8 ?4 ]6 _! Y1 z" n& ?- o> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
4 r6 A* ?9 W0 a& W* Q8 z6 `, Z> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
& S6 o5 g0 F2 V> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
2 F9 F% D7 _% R9 F> 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.
>
4 z  D* }0 k! U8 M$ A9 Y5 z> 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
1 r2 E/ d6 e3 G" R2 {1 }& T> 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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, ], m. Q6 W+ s3 ]( t> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- T% o# y$ x) r3 c3 {& T6 j> 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
: h9 ?8 x8 m/ e9 B3 y& A> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
& p( ?0 c* ?0 J8 z, v. _> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
$ Z2 M3 U0 G' G5 Y! x$ [> 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.
>
> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
# K$ p) {/ @! K7 {. V% `> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 T" g3 d3 e1 r; v0 O# l4 P> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
, ^+ w) ^5 ^. v6 d- ~: E/ X* _( `> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
* H" X( |- ^6 M, Y> game for his team.
>
; V$ U# K5 y6 A, F6 G* x5 I( Y> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
5 b" E+ C; |6 N  }3 G> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
7 R: o! X! F7 Q% p! _> into this world'.
>
> 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
2 c7 t. M( F2 R- g; f> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
, O( U6 b: R# }% }' L1 Z> 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
+ |* \1 S- w! B5 h; z. I> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
$ Y1 s6 s# v. Y> 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
! a3 u9 O  A2 @' k> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# I& s6 m$ O- R: o  n> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
0 N- Z8 c( i% z& _* j" O2 i> 2. Forward
>
8 o! C" G& _6 V. F> May your day, be a Shay Day.