Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ P9 f/ V- c  {) x> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
8 Y9 O4 h1 _2 T0 p  {' ?# A' A> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
) e7 k1 p( z' ]; g7 J( K, j; K: S> 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
' F, o# ?; I: ~> staff, he offered a question:
>
) G2 K- J7 I" p6 I# C! c> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
$ Y0 v% d0 L$ p6 h( L> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
5 s. j1 G2 y/ Z3 C! o> The audience was stilled by the query.
) w7 P3 k2 K2 a( k  H0 ?>
! I) ~8 ~7 H9 Q  u/ t- C- N> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% c/ n* ?+ Y+ X9 \1 U7 W2 ]> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
5 A& b3 X0 G' C3 z* N: y> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
  C2 y9 ~; Y  N2 ?+ i' x6 B* r! ~7 U> 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
: ~- z2 ]9 T0 O+ f; D( r> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
: H2 c/ N$ O: \- F7 \  N> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
4 g9 v/ \5 R  O- J> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
5 y( q$ @$ K4 l! m& a> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
0 m, z3 m1 J5 ^- b  W> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( {: G% q/ V: B> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
* l7 `9 j, S' P9 v; |0 o> 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.'
; D8 I0 D2 P% j>
> 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
> 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
& Y6 v* d7 S& D- _! l+ |> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
3 G5 H0 ?1 T) H4 U' l3 c: H1 _. v> 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
; p. l1 ^, a% q> 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
2 q. T, |" k8 Z> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
+ z1 [) l6 p8 B8 T+ ~" p% M/ I2 l# i> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
0 \- g3 P5 y! @8 n4 T> 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
> 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.
>
( u# X5 ^3 W& M8 [> 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.
>
3 Z/ j  y- m0 [* ~# z* o> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
: X% S% |& E: ~- H/ i- k9 n> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
3 y% k, I9 N/ y1 c! |: t1 P2 s; K5 L> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
7 G$ E( @6 C/ x> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
& u+ x9 }7 w- g, P( `- A) L> 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,
  U5 R7 s4 R* y1 N8 x2 c> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
3 f: b* s" b  L> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
8 T# p4 M$ J- l, u> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
2 X7 G* r! ]+ G# B: q' ~2 {0 H" E. x> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ x. y1 [" k7 n* a> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
; q" q1 E0 ]% L& Y' Z/ a> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
* w+ N; X6 ~6 L& c+ j0 K# |2 ?> 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!
( f3 f7 ~  F% B7 Q# M& N0 N2 m! M>
> 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
> 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.
# k# k! K; t  {, t9 r8 D>
1 m, S: `3 X( ~, R> 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
0 |: D& {' L' r0 t' j& `5 P> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
: {) r4 X0 u  C# a5 n) a> 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
( e0 A6 b! x+ y1 l0 |# {> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
7 |' m! @- @3 ?! Y) i> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
/ T. n3 M7 p, @2 f+ r> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
, q3 d9 g8 U# {>
5 i. x* ^7 o; T5 l# x> You now have two choices:
0 v; T$ u- n& s- H& E> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
, Q+ c0 G+ m. j# U: g# e* M; p>
( w8 K- q. Z% m) `> May your day, be a Shay Day.