Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
6 z2 v( ?7 U* l/ w% K4 w5 O  Y) y> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
( T* S9 L/ E$ K- c* k' T* G. N> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
  w" Z9 u3 p# c1 ^  v4 C( ?> 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
& W: K( J: t8 L2 Y9 d) m: ]1 C2 q> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
* E8 T) l+ }) }> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ V$ ]2 e% T. @7 _* O3 M8 s> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
. W) k: f5 i5 ~5 k9 x> natural order of things in my son?'
>
: |6 j9 O" Z* J  D0 i8 s" V> The audience was stilled by the query.
4 P- W3 J4 P! s" q6 @; V" y$ i>
& ^- q  S2 k- I+ U2 Q. Q> 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.'
>
& k! O% N  s  F% m' E> 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
9 h& ?4 T6 a" T& u5 n# L> 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,
> 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
- Y: a+ U' v& ~, E5 E* S# R8 S> 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
4 h4 I, z7 m3 h* x: w" d9 g> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
/ v: F; y" u( w0 l> inning.'
9 `* l7 @/ }% l( T% Q9 p8 z>
> 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
9 R) l9 P# n. N> 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
" g3 i: [( u- U5 g7 ?. k8 H; a  n> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
2 j, A, Z0 `5 I8 e8 s( d7 \5 l> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
" g: _$ X: A3 `> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
- I& n) V6 P1 H> 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
+ F! H* @  X& l+ ]2 a! \  w> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
9 |- s7 M' t) C2 R" w> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
: x8 \3 N+ X) D8 W0 X> 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.
+ J* A" V  n2 i8 R. B) }2 f> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
% [5 {) I# i$ f8 a>
> 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.
>
2 O' X2 u9 w& Q) T5 H> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
5 C/ Z' P( j' `! m> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
9 Z; m% l2 u+ @* H> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
+ {7 V; f2 i# j: Q( j) D6 @6 i6 O- I> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
, s) L4 n6 m, r) o1 g4 j+ c- o( b> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* R. J% g8 @1 X' c5 D> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% z+ M$ g$ Q* G% F$ k+ j6 ~$ Q> 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
5 N9 r  y' y; R4 [/ L6 N4 Y& G' V> 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
/ z: ~6 p. P1 W+ X2 x, e; a> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
" n$ Z$ M+ d/ i>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
2 ?) B4 A: M) R, ^; X7 x>
> 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!
6 n, T' m5 A* U% }2 T> Shay, run to third!'
( E  L' r) c! s1 t' n+ g>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 ]" e, l9 j' m; L$ O8 U6 I# X* a3 _> 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
; a1 f; N! y/ `4 ~; R* y& B# r> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
. N; H5 x9 g. `( E> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
  f  V% q6 ]4 o! x$ L; ^  g2 I> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) U* r- s5 f% C( M6 q2 e/ i> 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!
>
& h3 n8 w7 ~- y( ~1 l. Q; w* Y+ c9 j> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
" y% `  u/ A- D/ ]* g> 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
' `' T4 @) \+ i1 Z- h6 C$ F2 [  \> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
& y" Z  C2 T& A6 s9 i>
> 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
> '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
> 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
" C% k% A) H0 z2 u1 K* L> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
( e7 b: n/ k7 S$ ~5 ^0 y> bit colder in the process?
& x8 L- U4 U) B6 U8 o>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
5 W; [! P7 x5 i7 a% ~: [>
/ W1 ?5 k. l$ F. b  T* |9 {. a4 W> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
0 J, U5 ~0 g  H0 e> 2. Forward
- J: ]% f2 ~# E3 e: X>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.