Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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7 S" ]' d2 w+ U/ v+ ?3 L> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 L" c8 L& r  Q; ]" o> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
( `& I! S% g, w+ q$ n% \0 n1 Z> 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
& z/ W) X" P1 C; A> staff, he offered a question:
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$ G$ \) i# z! |. {> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 g( i9 P5 g) X  x% g> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
: E: a$ o3 ?: e9 X7 `> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
) ]; `$ r; ^* g> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
& L3 F( I) ?# i4 X> treat that child.'
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> 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
* {6 W4 _8 P9 ?: K! i' w  [, S> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
& m" b. M9 i; i) V$ _> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' W5 U) W" C! t' r# D+ v2 A% k> 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
9 f/ L2 Y0 {$ \- ]% U! ]/ k4 c0 y. ]> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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9 W1 Q2 p# ]5 [( x! V> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
/ m( L( b/ V- |2 r- {( |  z9 ~> 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
> 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
: C/ F6 ?0 \, {7 J  G" r2 C> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
' m3 u8 F% j1 G, b% T> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
  a& C  ^' j+ G, a4 I7 P, G> 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
% o( z8 l0 {, t2 @> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
. X( \, Y: {1 _6 E+ a; p> much less connect with the ball.
8 O# T0 N+ B7 F> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
& b5 L, k( b4 {> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
8 y# A; \2 O! X% b* E! r+ Z> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
! d' H0 g4 e1 u" N$ @* X* @> 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.
3 O9 n8 Q' _. R. k9 Q& l> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
% [) M! B8 o4 D! ]: K* N% s> right back to the pitcher.
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7 z7 t. c- ~+ N' A+ T; D$ x> 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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4 P8 Z" j6 a/ f% {$ S. }> 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
; I* x$ e! s4 F' x( }$ `4 }> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
0 B% B) p0 d3 K; ]! ^> 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
> 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
$ B. O4 V9 t$ S; Z5 \4 j> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
& \; x7 X$ n3 `9 R> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
; G' b; S! y7 `% Q( t% i& z; Y> Shay, run to third!'
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: T+ j# M, K2 {( Z. A2 ^% p) T> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
0 {8 @+ H$ L0 t; Y+ k  r: H> 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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" G1 k6 }- ~4 y> '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
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>
7 `& n+ ?* p+ ^" R2 E# T9 y> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
6 L" S; J" t. I" [5 W/ W- U6 d: F, m> 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.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 r" d* h- a" v& Z* I> 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
0 z. C2 a1 B- |( ^1 i: n  d> 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
6 X6 N. d- r8 X* k3 {> bit colder in the process?
>
# N& H6 `4 M( N. N1 W! Y7 l> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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& H5 U8 d6 `! @; W2 N' o) l> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
% r6 B  d9 m7 e# g% ]& W$ I) W> May your day, be a Shay Day.