Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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/ x* `1 m9 `, [  R> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 K0 |0 b' k& G3 P! c> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
; d4 c+ S& X' F9 N7 O7 P> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
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: r# A6 ]  \# {: \> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
- @( j  A( F  I> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
8 e& L4 a* Y3 T) U: P5 P8 T- U> natural order of things in my son?'
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% M1 v' @' b8 }6 l0 K> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
5 `8 |% {( v; x# K6 u/ s& z, c: Y; h> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
- \3 x6 @6 `! p* ^> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
# `: e! J/ \4 B+ J7 Q4 m2 h) y) m% B. O> treat that child.'
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- a. u, K9 _1 N> Then he told the following story:
>
) a- ^- @! h# H/ f" L> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
1 z  w* }3 O7 \> 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
* b$ ?! k5 ?# q1 j5 q6 C> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
# [2 j2 N+ ~7 p3 @  ]4 s> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
. _3 O. B( N0 d/ @> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
( F% t+ V" \, S$ {& S4 t> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 {3 Y# p1 w# i& Z4 S> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
5 q0 x2 i) z% M> 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
: {1 \. R& I$ l# G$ m0 U> inning.'
>
) b  l3 J" W3 X+ p- v( m/ O% `> 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
0 K6 H; A$ g! l- i) y> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
7 d2 @" n% X, M> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
$ K6 i( p9 R( ?- h& u$ r> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
7 @3 p' M" e# B" a> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
$ M/ S4 O1 F8 n, I; Y> 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
: ?* v9 t& g, ?9 C5 @& s* T, l> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
' R1 ?. a; t' f, U! I3 Q; d> next at bat.
>
! M- G+ @6 U; C  {1 D# F% o4 F> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
0 m4 N7 G7 q2 W( q& s! p' B9 f> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
* j; _/ d' Y* S: n+ m, ^> 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
> 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
  @, e& g1 t1 D+ y+ a1 \# f; ^> 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.
- _- A8 Z6 c6 C9 m5 b> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
* A) F: z1 e; m  O> right back to the pitcher.
>
2 u5 e! X0 F' t4 ~> 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.
>
> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
/ a$ `; e5 y' |> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
. u& X" ~: R, l( d  F6 R7 M> 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
3 T( y' o9 r% y9 D6 {0 s. C> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
1 T, ^7 i+ M) ^2 H> 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
) C, f" G4 n4 }> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" o1 S, g7 X$ {' }+ `. t3 r> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
& ?/ Q; ?! {" k+ z> Shay, run to third!'
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, C7 L' y0 a% e) U% X# J* F5 R5 f4 S> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 k; D& Z* r0 j" Y- b( m; d, S> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
/ o" \; P( ~! L6 i+ b4 ?% x> 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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> '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
6 p$ L1 u8 B' [. A1 I> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 Q- a5 E8 j7 D> 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!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
" Y! P2 L& ]( j> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
& k9 v, `# L$ o( G  r; V> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
' E0 U  B7 k, f> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
8 e9 g6 z  y+ J0 S. c> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
* A- J: V2 g' E0 B1 ]9 E> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
8 L; y1 p) P3 K- L. ]> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
( p& l2 c7 _& @0 p5 ^# I+ }> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
: E1 a/ ]) D( F% K. \' L5 _6 P1 Q' L> 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.
>
4 k# _/ Y( N) {* b> You now have two choices:
2 ]# m: t. q, e, s. e) w& \. k( M> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.