Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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- z4 a. A! A9 p# L- i1 x> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 b6 X( h! ~4 R- v, K# R7 f: w( X, Y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
4 w  p: I1 j4 x$ g/ _> 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
$ i# z5 ^0 i( O> 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
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
/ X3 o; P1 c$ k8 k- i$ M> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
* z. k% u$ a7 B# N' b2 m> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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% m3 T" R  j' G& i( w3 z> 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
; e) ~: ^* I$ F3 z, K; |) Q- e> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
- {. P  T" ?( ^6 j* P$ w> 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
0 f, c! f' u8 t, y5 w- n4 T> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> 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
. P& x6 w, R2 r5 `6 X3 z> 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
3 z7 D/ g6 k! c5 D7 J" f, r3 }> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
' j; N+ f9 f" q. ?> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
/ M7 m$ U. T6 |5 R: X' 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
6 ?/ r( M2 n& Z) L> next at bat.
>
- u. ~2 Q2 I1 q! o, R4 V> 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,
2 @1 L/ T: l: U; B8 h% ?2 Q$ T3 ?> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
. K# G8 t0 E/ Y> 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.
>
> 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
+ X5 l; V- ^5 |# `+ d> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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- t- i( H  Q0 V; w9 V> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
5 i& {) S/ {9 \8 {: q8 u5 }> 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
. x5 T" W% P+ O7 q$ `6 s# B> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
( @4 f: K& x. k# a( y> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" u  {; v! h0 n  H> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 q2 d# b! i5 @) e> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
: W0 ?, t+ S* a) J, c> 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,
1 K+ a' }0 q; s8 I0 K+ O> 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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' A6 c  l2 l7 N> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- ~6 R- [( Q5 W! k) ]' A5 W/ B> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
" W* w. Z3 M& z8 f1 a" K5 B. \, K> Shay, run to third!'
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- {+ Z# h2 k$ e0 R- }& K; I> 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.
>
> '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'.
>
> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
5 v. {" s. n  S6 p0 P+ E> 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
9 [1 t- Q( U7 }) h7 x& e> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
. o  T( ]# C2 L/ R2 r3 o3 @> 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
> '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
/ n9 r0 a( e  [, |- N* ?9 W' R> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
' f& {  n" s( e1 K% O1 \> 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
6 h8 o( Z( L% L> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* |+ A7 J  n1 w3 x0 h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
( O1 s. C7 B5 j" O& _" y" _> 2. Forward
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1 O" P) p4 O1 }& I0 c2 I; H1 e> May your day, be a Shay Day.