Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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2 X; s. A/ I5 A3 ?3 r9 L( h3 t3 h> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, e7 Q+ p  _3 {; t! l/ s> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
- j; l6 }/ R# F* |> 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
' q' t# a1 P4 d1 M$ h& V2 f, _7 w> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
5 O: X/ j) s% ?> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 m7 X, E0 c' a+ t6 G> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
: ~$ D+ c' l! e5 {) z> natural order of things in my son?'
>
" t( I, x% r4 U$ y> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
( j8 b5 l/ x- }0 Q- X3 D9 v# |, _* S> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 h; ?+ |  y. A1 j- N* j0 ^> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
3 G9 D; T4 O2 a$ B> 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
: T+ f  T( C. p- u( d> 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,
& |7 v9 w" W, Y3 b1 S6 \# b( ~6 F> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 i& ?# c7 H3 {7 V6 a3 Y9 D( m4 m> 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
; g. A) z4 Z1 }( g( p; G> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
- c. a8 b8 G$ D' v) u> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
" W/ }8 s! t7 A/ D7 ^' ]> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
6 u( m( j2 ?: z. t# s# a# U$ `> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
1 N. e- d* N! R+ c; q, ?> 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
* t( }/ a- R7 P, V1 k" `: |3 ~8 u' t, ~> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
3 q; c9 d9 p/ P5 Q+ t> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
  X8 E4 k& ]) Y> 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
. f* H5 @, y3 g% f* b9 {8 y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
6 o, {8 v/ d' C1 }& Z2 o> next at bat.
>
( b, Q" F2 o1 Q> 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,
1 U2 i* E6 }. c  B( l> much less connect with the ball.
( }7 F; k- k7 r& l& }+ w> 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
  S5 U& p1 r8 S7 D5 o> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
3 I$ h8 a9 t0 I$ b- L; {/ W+ Q> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
3 o# P5 C" w# v6 g" ?' o5 s- ^> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
: j& g+ k1 g9 m( v9 ^> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
3 A% D) I, Q+ B0 J> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
! I  n7 H5 V, M2 t3 B> 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.
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5 M) c( S4 A9 n3 P> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
# A$ A" b5 L, F+ X! {> 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,
0 @  ~; V4 N9 Y> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
3 B- y8 N% ]: L( k- a( X> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
# |8 G- [. u3 X- C" \8 t> 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
> 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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. `/ y" x$ k9 U3 W; E% E$ c, A7 h) _% u> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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: ^, Z* C' K/ R. U4 ~/ C> 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!
+ }. z( m0 S$ I$ i9 Q" ]8 C# |> Shay, run to third!'
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8 i3 M8 _- {7 x0 R' H( E> 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
> 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,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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) m% X+ m% g6 M7 R> 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
/ w' B) T: c6 y; ~( I$ t> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
! E  ~% Z& o1 B3 Y9 ]* [> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
6 e6 U+ z% S0 j; z, Z% x/ k9 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
> 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
$ R/ @+ X/ t- x# `! A1 `> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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! h/ r! a( R# d3 X> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.