Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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7 c1 `4 L- o2 W4 U5 p> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
1 M1 b" i. a, A$ [1 \> 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
3 }" z" G& ?5 h1 G, ~. U% D" f  f> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
! O# n+ f% Z, _( R9 E. i/ ]> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! {; [2 y% x- A) w- |> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
! D2 q* D, ?) w, d/ D- u( _> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
8 |7 k5 ?) F! V7 r# r>
0 Q  k2 z: _. R0 w! n4 Y' A> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 N4 k6 ?* l( Y8 ^/ D> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
  I' W% `% Y5 S5 R" G- i3 k# A> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
4 g, E; o7 }5 m$ E+ R/ `* k> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
& s4 ]5 m3 J% m3 Y) N9 Q> 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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8 ~, M8 g, A, ~4 Y. g* Q> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- _" {1 t% `- x" h8 M" V- y> 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
. |" U+ G0 Z& q9 V3 A* E* k, f> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
, G. X/ n$ L, j> inning.'
4 W% p* ?2 r$ f+ P9 |! V>
> 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
$ g) _, ?* [6 ?. H5 y> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
9 H7 }% N" `- Y4 m5 z6 G$ 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
( E4 N3 [% A' g# K' V+ s> 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
: f+ n' G( [8 q* @4 T' W, d> 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
- M0 ^3 u' {1 O$ u7 C3 x0 l* `> next at bat.
>
> 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
, N4 B/ ?3 G; v0 o  m* e! u4 v: L> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
) _- Q/ e2 C3 T' c& @( s> much less connect with the ball.
7 J, J( K) l7 k" T> 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
5 `. X3 x" n. F7 T( u: C> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
5 F2 K: d% A8 G: f* {6 E% d1 C> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
3 h. h3 [5 G" i: R! l1 e> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 b7 @& i9 B+ F5 b3 P2 w; N" K> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
& F; t3 ?1 ~- P0 I, u  Q> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
# F' u7 B1 G8 u) F) \. e> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
: N& ^" Q1 A3 l# d% r& Z> 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
/ h2 V) N1 T+ l6 R" b> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
! j# ~1 c7 L! K! H9 U$ K# ~> 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,
# b$ ~7 `$ D3 V+ J8 M> 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
3 }% U/ L! ^* f* A, k> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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; |" r# n1 ]2 C. M! m> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
. u6 f  y9 d9 M5 z2 H2 d> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
2 m4 R5 Q- z/ N4 q> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 o/ c8 J, u5 N8 f% \/ L9 u3 l8 l> 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
7 e# i9 O, ]' I% A7 l) t7 v> game for his team.
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0 ~; w" [% S9 J4 s> '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'.
>
; C4 ^8 L, E/ D* w# V> 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
5 k  V0 P7 B' U% d6 L+ d> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
0 z0 r5 N1 {# ^# m" i> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
0 x0 i3 ?/ _0 m$ Z1 Y> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
0 [  m/ s% [$ w1 A0 p2 I> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
0 F8 G! \: n7 s6 m> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
% l7 L( T/ y  |4 \  H8 ]2 F> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
: h. T& ]$ p  [! [: F& W> 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
- Y2 X; j) j0 E" g> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
( G  c( |9 y3 D6 [- h( l! J7 \> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
0 h9 y& `9 E! u3 o  e1 X" ?6 c5 {> 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
) N+ q- ~) j8 P2 `> bit colder in the process?
>
1 ^6 X! d/ k7 ~- F) D> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
  X  x2 S! Q; C: `8 U> You now have two choices:
/ r+ i3 j# A* Z5 `/ v> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
) k6 B- g0 @! Z9 R4 |9 d> May your day, be a Shay Day.