Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
, U4 p, o0 A3 d) ~6 n' P> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; Q0 o  t/ N  a% n- i1 [> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 [' L/ j3 `; r, t: _> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
5 p% R2 t2 }4 U> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
* e7 |  y2 I' L# L/ L! \> staff, he offered a question:
" P$ @( V& p2 L>
; d& G% L  [: |, Z3 q3 h> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: M" y1 I* h0 F. @3 B> 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
% I$ I& O2 a9 [- b6 E) o> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
8 P' H1 I& }5 A4 n>
! }% U+ r  N. B: _3 n2 X' w' e6 m> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' c- U; H8 V+ H> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
# }0 H. x1 X$ E2 M> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; I8 s+ R, G1 F: g' t) t6 N> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
) y  h/ T% K+ D+ ]3 o: n' I3 @> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
4 x5 `, C( y6 v>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 `- W+ F) U0 B! [$ ]> 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
5 ~4 [$ G3 N0 j/ Z$ A. x2 D  {4 H> inning.'
& p% ^% j5 ]/ e>
1 K6 e7 j  U* \; e" p> 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
& K: S) ~/ n/ F" E3 j" ?. e" v& T> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
0 f2 |  d" ]1 b& u0 E9 m> 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
" K/ O: l) u; i1 T5 b* `$ `1 Y& d> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
* `2 h. Y: r" s4 O3 b> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
8 b+ U3 a# v" d" B>
6 P7 i! d0 t# Z, S* `> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) G8 T9 u6 W0 c- w5 A> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
$ `, k0 H) H; E  e& r> 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
- H* e  g3 D, j4 \& L- k  J! x0 v; P: O> 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.
5 i# {. T6 n# k* G% l5 s> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
. s8 F! M7 y# d' {* x7 t> right back to the pitcher.
0 F/ T' ], `% w6 X" c4 Q1 |+ T>
6 |6 @3 E& @& K6 W, x> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
# n$ R8 F; w/ k' M3 g> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
; k( J! B0 Z6 s1 f> out and that would have been the end of the game.
" ~6 R  p& l3 E  R8 X& r  d>
' S# Y, }  o4 l+ M* I- `5 ]5 x> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
9 u0 a0 K! k) ~  F> 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
9 b+ c* x- m' w- M1 W5 j8 _> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
) w9 V' ]; E4 w1 I5 |. V8 n, D> wide-eyed and startled.
7 a, X3 F9 Y- z>
> 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
0 V  C) {9 l( w! F: V6 Q> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
  o, W0 d/ {8 p% L" c7 }  `> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
+ ?/ [0 n6 z: p4 r> 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
0 h9 ^7 O2 u" s> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
% A) P. Z4 [# f>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
$ t2 v- }8 O4 R7 _> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
9 _0 ]. ?. e% m& H' W) H# C> Shay, run to third!'
>
4 v+ q! ]" x( [6 |( 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
6 K9 D- w" Y& ?: s> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
' O+ v( a7 C) O7 \>
> '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
0 O9 {5 J5 ^& ~5 j4 I7 d8 s0 U3 X> into this world'.
>
) _# C* @  v. ?1 o5 w  ]- [7 m> 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
> 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.
2 y2 Q$ g" S' U8 b; b>
  ^! D0 s/ O8 S, g. m3 X. D> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
" F9 ^' E2 k' r8 M4 P> 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 a) b6 a( H: x5 N* F0 E" F' X) B> 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
. t' g$ C! `* w6 L# O; D3 h> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
4 b! N5 N2 h' R/ [) {. r: `8 J9 W) P> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 D* W6 O- A# f. E" w+ O  L( e> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
4 I" t  }, {, y2 Y1 L> May your day, be a Shay Day.