Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
* p' G1 c7 Z( N: u) D$ i# g% F" }. ]> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 T4 I; Q, d" J. J8 y2 m0 I> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
6 Y  K3 X# @& m5 Q+ a+ ~>
$ b, h  |* F9 l  |% n> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
  K; p6 ~4 X$ a" A& o; x> 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
& Q! S! ]6 T2 K" U& k! J; I> staff, he offered a question:
>
; l8 O$ g2 E% l& x3 d1 h> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
1 K3 }5 P4 y9 L* _( F> 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.
>
> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' d  _/ R2 A/ k; d5 y, K! t> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
! O' |0 L* v! k  A3 X> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
8 u/ Q+ X9 j% Q" }9 E> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
: r) {* E! Z$ [> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
* f+ y( I9 d2 r6 k>
1 K* C3 e' J5 z! W> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ T* T# R* y9 A3 g: r' T> 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
0 f% [6 d" ^: o8 Y' U> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
* p: M* `! d2 _>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
3 `$ t  A8 U% P* g2 T( m" a/ _/ U> 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
; m$ ]* q( G/ F> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
% j1 z1 ]; _6 x7 z$ @4 ]/ 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
> next at bat.
6 ^3 A7 v' `8 T# o>
> 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,
' ]" H; f5 E. u, n! }( \5 M6 L> much less connect with the ball.
+ ~  |+ ?4 G9 K$ {! N$ \+ J> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
. u+ d: ], d( Y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
& c, B: |8 T: ], U1 R2 U> right back to the pitcher.
. E) y0 @3 x2 I>
* \# F; L) X/ ~: B> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
- k  l' O& x" }1 i5 y) `- T9 @4 K> 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.
>
> 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
6 X  I; h3 O. Q) y) C  O+ g% U> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
. [+ f2 j/ w. r  E* e4 t> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
$ F) z& X9 V. o: P; V1 P2 ~  A> 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
. f  A, L+ }2 H! h> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ {6 n/ P2 D. ~1 w  `> 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
2 A  v+ x% x+ S9 v2 H> circled the bases toward home.
>
- \% O* G" |' w! N> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
( b6 a4 p% G* a  y& W> 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!
7 n; j0 j- x; B) z( y% G> Shay, run to third!'
>
% B9 u& m, L! l& i1 @& d8 x+ X> 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
( @& L# {& l8 F  S> game for his team.
>
% }$ g' I# G( ^> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
% \& O; ?' A% t: O/ h) N2 P> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
: x3 g  M; I5 o3 b, k& t) V+ b> into this world'.
$ u% }# R% T- `>
: y- m. a4 R% Y) n- _; S> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 |; v4 R, b: j; b. s0 K6 w> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
/ C3 o% y! j8 m" P, e3 r> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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; V% I. `$ k9 ^2 Q& i> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 }% @" S9 c# K1 C> 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
! t! X7 G3 s# q5 l# C$ w: p> 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
+ V* N& i5 y. W) T7 u' b0 x) \> 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 ~) z0 K" {> 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
! I' S% q+ U, o! d1 x5 g> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
4 U: {  H% O& C>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
! P3 @/ u$ c( U; d- p" P# `3 ~>
> You now have two choices:
3 m) j+ r7 v/ N1 y6 G> 1. Delete
3 R7 ?/ j: r8 X' }  I> 2. Forward
>
# f. p- d2 V+ J; o> May your day, be a Shay Day.