Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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: _  y4 F( G4 A; }> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) ?. M1 z, k! g6 V+ _> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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3 N# i. X$ f! a2 ^! I+ {2 P5 z> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
9 }, r# h4 F8 w) q& f# o& P6 A> 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:
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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
; |6 h" S6 B) I- @8 e& Z4 j& ~> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
; ~; H( j0 p- g" g" s3 j* Q) F> natural order of things in my son?'
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$ e: P. _9 P" `> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
, Q9 H8 d& \1 }9 o1 ^* M4 l5 w3 t> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% o( @* K- D. x> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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8 A. ~4 k0 J) t) s5 o> 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
1 v6 S& z# F7 W" n! W> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
5 ^5 J) m3 d( z> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
, x8 `' K; w. m% T+ k> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
* \! e  |1 \. h1 V( T> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
) M6 O6 B( {4 O% `. c  U) c4 `. W> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
; Z% L1 C& g: |; x. S> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ n$ `$ p" H* z2 ?) i# `1 v> 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
  f/ B; [6 u; I) t8 e; Z( N8 l> 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
. k) v5 b- @3 Y8 {> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
2 }/ J' \1 X* T( z> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
1 W/ \- _' r) [> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
: v/ _$ J" [$ o. p' ~> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
& Q! Z" S- n3 H$ j' O> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
  V: d2 g, }5 w. d# ~3 {0 \9 Y> much less connect with the ball.
1 ?% G, ?% h3 g; C; M7 n$ o# }, ~. k> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
! O8 t) u' ?- d8 h6 o% _& F4 N- _> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ s, `! v9 x. m# T: m! R> 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
, a9 N0 \& J) R> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> 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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> 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
' m+ x" D* p# j8 l7 j% X# K> 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,
4 M" O5 ?, w3 `& L$ u> wide-eyed and startled.
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  |- n0 h4 f- [2 }: M" Q" e> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
, _/ t. q$ P4 D4 P8 `> 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
> 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,
2 @! J9 O8 P9 B3 Z> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
" |5 r% F  e3 f9 J) I' r1 v- ?9 j> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
: U3 E4 S) h5 m; J5 U( m* ?* ~> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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!
% f4 R& q3 N4 M8 ~+ w( g1 }> Shay, run to third!'
>
; e: x/ l6 S4 L; t0 A* \> 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
6 j7 L0 v9 |  ?% p4 a4 T: r( y> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
& Q4 i( T4 Z% y+ |% b; E> game for his team.
>
> '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
% f0 T3 F% C. N3 _7 L> into this world'.
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6 S! E6 d1 L/ i> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ O" u6 B: Y' n# J( G2 K- F6 G6 B> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
9 e: k3 |# b' I> 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
7 k% ~+ v3 F4 h> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
( ], {2 {1 d% Q8 E; Z( p8 u> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
: n. W6 v/ M) L4 m9 W( T6 j> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 B* `; E% w: J6 }6 ]> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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$ B" y6 ]: ^7 d6 h& H8 r% ]4 |8 _5 p> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: G# a6 J4 q/ l  m  U/ T> 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
0 Y% m9 O: e2 Q$ U/ _> 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
3 Y5 N  [8 l; q( O: a6 h> 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
8 s5 Z6 v3 r# ?* S" c2 f5 V> bit colder in the process?
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8 c- k6 q; C/ m> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 P! o. e! |# r1 n  }> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
8 R7 R2 F0 c( H> 2. Forward
>
1 y8 p% e2 G; v! M# Q> May your day, be a Shay Day.