Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
' P. Z5 A9 ?: Q) i' `+ }> 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
& X) {* p2 V- X! X- z) ?> same choice?
>
8 t% H- j5 I7 y' O* O> 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
" f2 A) z# P+ W> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
- F: _% ]- U1 s6 ^> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- O8 I+ J, t! f0 ^! Y& p& Y> 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
1 y. v; N4 ^6 P) \5 ~0 z4 P9 B> natural order of things in my son?'
7 h: B7 S7 C  s2 X  W$ A- e>
0 c% `0 R! i) F. h> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
  l& f9 {1 Y' s4 u6 R, \> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& H$ a0 ~6 n8 J# C3 Z1 h4 d> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 J- a7 y8 _# Q  ^! ~- K$ B> treat that child.'
* `2 U1 s2 V8 m* I7 H0 b1 J( _>
> 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
/ n; d" z3 t* z9 I- S> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
  m, l: _* E" F$ x> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
. g+ i: e3 `+ g: O( w> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
: E4 P2 j5 P' W5 Q" E>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# l8 W5 Q9 N! g6 M) _> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
# J  W2 ~, \/ S> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
# X8 i! p$ c, P5 @7 i7 X5 P> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
0 s9 A8 F8 W8 \* Z6 k9 L* Q> inning.'
& x  v1 v- M3 m>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
8 ]* o" W' M/ |> 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
# L1 b  m+ {- r> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
. o7 _. s7 W# B1 x+ g5 S> 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
6 A& r2 ~- c2 @7 v, J4 h- ?> 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
3 i  v1 f! r& r> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
+ O$ s; n9 T4 s) P% ]> next at bat.
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1 ^+ t: a& }' p> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
; N2 w' g3 a# V5 c. D% e> 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
+ e: i' W+ G' A- P0 Z$ M6 |$ \! {8 u1 V> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 A2 t) e* ^. K- W> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
- b, W1 C1 X# t5 d# T( K5 q* m> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: v8 B1 l% k( [, C( Q> 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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4 s. ~/ y, Z  J9 v7 Q> 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
: O6 x/ l7 e! `- O( b' N& S" j> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
5 [- f& V3 X. ]9 w> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
) c9 \. l, O! i6 ^6 E1 g> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
7 y( r+ J& ^" k! n  C> 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
; n$ V/ f. b1 u> 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,
/ |3 ^% o1 }2 F8 \> 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
4 `( j8 ^8 \. q4 }& {3 u> circled the bases toward home.
5 ~" e" g* r( E; M. B1 y>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
4 ~6 n" ?1 o3 ?  g>
, D( q6 x! W: M7 S, @8 |4 g$ q> 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!
% K7 h  Z4 d6 F, ?+ A* P> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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.
  Y' z5 m" k  e, q% U  x>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 B+ x' _2 E% G; I* M  H> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
$ [* C  M+ H. V% j* U7 F7 U0 y6 o) [> 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
* B: v& P2 q0 v( T: E+ y5 p8 w> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
8 v  w2 V3 Q! P7 ^& g$ V( h>
> 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
. {1 J) R" b9 Y  I! e> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 @9 z/ X9 i4 `! N  _5 W/ T> 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
5 M: V+ i. d& Q% \0 q! o> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
$ s7 F" A- I- T# G> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
$ Y1 s  V" ^! M3 f: U2 y2 J> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
$ J; y2 r; Y; x( z/ b) w> 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
; q& j( n" C! c/ K> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# P1 ]4 Q3 ]4 V# Q' U> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
' Z6 |( v2 p5 r! A6 x1 S> May your day, be a Shay Day.