Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
9 e+ [7 k, s  t( R/ \' @> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; J% M; g) t8 A) u2 q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
" z. x6 ]1 }6 p6 M  R3 n( }> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
& y& D+ q8 Y5 R6 Z, [> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
2 i" O1 m) F$ n1 {. c. l) X> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
( S) M( V/ U3 A2 r) ^7 i3 [( j> staff, he offered a question:
>
4 ^, u. K- B1 [2 V5 ^1 U> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' F9 ^# C9 k7 E; B$ \8 i> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
" X, u$ e9 Y! M5 ?1 }, Q: |> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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" f+ z7 R& ]- T3 c7 |+ f> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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.'
>
7 M* {1 W! N& o> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
( Z5 J: Q3 R5 |8 H& u! K5 w0 h/ ~* A> 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
) A% {. z$ R' D& d3 A5 X! ^- P> 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.'
>
: b5 v' Z( g' f3 ~8 o% B> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- C" x: p0 a: [' h: N" V> 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
& ^/ Y+ X0 `3 X, b4 ^> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
( E# B7 x. E- J, b> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
1 r1 T+ }( j3 A> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
/ U; S1 G, A( Y% m3 `> 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
. E$ |- B# |$ M7 K> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> 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
9 G( [) k( X" y, c> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
) [  d7 _" _! {9 w; d7 h9 v> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
( F2 q$ v6 |1 @" B. f* p1 T> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
' |0 n" G! H( a; i; ^8 m> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
$ E" C& l6 d8 \3 L+ W; U, x4 @> 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.
>
6 [1 J/ j; {8 D6 W8 g> 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
# @  ~* Z+ T! W8 k( w> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
3 B9 A% ~; @$ ?# v" ?# @6 I> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
7 m7 D8 I8 y0 c4 j4 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,
* f) A/ P2 ~0 X> wide-eyed and startled.
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% c1 A8 L0 f3 }1 q$ I> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
/ \# y# U' d5 a1 u* }4 J  t& E> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 r3 [% ^4 r5 j# @1 U% S> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
" F2 E1 C# ?/ c, O" R! ]> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
* U, k  [1 |) y% n> 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
, F2 D- G) ^$ b" ~: [' W5 O> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
" M3 j# t& I6 `3 ^# v5 J+ G1 I> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
1 D5 E% }+ t/ y8 N9 V/ V/ T3 ?> 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!
> 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
> 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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6 Y* B5 R+ g& \4 P& d9 M4 w7 N  b> '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
# C2 k' F: z7 k# j* L1 t> 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
4 m+ M% ]% i9 K1 L> 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
6 A- J' B: n3 j+ x6 {, \7 d8 u> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
/ h  d1 M( }' }2 s> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
  m* z( j& K3 B$ t( \> 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
4 J% `8 n& W, J+ W> '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
9 G, Y7 H6 |- w: ?; Q. n> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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& @( q7 r' _6 {$ T& N> You now have two choices:
2 s* x* P+ G" X> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
3 V; m9 V7 w7 `: i' u2 M>
& F3 X5 a0 h0 E5 p7 K& Z/ M! Q> May your day, be a Shay Day.