Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
% X4 e; w9 q! b5 F2 S0 t>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; d; A8 o9 y! @> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
: r; q) u6 @3 P7 F+ R  ~>
% u. f; I1 o( b3 E- u- j8 @> 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:
$ X1 i! g, W; {' S/ e2 Q  j>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 Y( h- E* t) l5 z& w6 t> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
0 O- O$ c) z7 O5 k6 _3 D4 P2 r> natural order of things in my son?'
% v! \  @) u) q7 u* h+ s9 O# T1 q>
% r- y4 n" n# K- M" w. {2 \> The audience was stilled by the query.
4 T6 B9 p9 H1 M6 Q, s: O>
. Z# K% @. ^' Q; _4 X> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
3 q5 C7 i" t  G9 b> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' I1 S! Y) T# M> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
5 u. i7 P% z+ o1 E2 }( ?' \! l: K; ?>
8 L3 \2 f6 H( v6 q5 e" T$ w> Then he told the following story:
6 J9 T! l  ]4 p. ~+ W6 E>
$ z0 @1 d( W* R+ U> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 i! z5 F5 h" O; J> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
2 y7 \7 r  k) U> 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
" k! F; E/ W7 v* ]& R> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 J3 ~7 ?+ M/ f4 `. z; r. Y> 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. |+ a  h5 W> inning.'
* }0 ~+ M* z6 e; L>
> 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 f' G, y+ m8 e, c3 ?0 |> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
: W0 e- V, e. q, C) T- K, P! E> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
+ p- k8 o" t6 b- ^> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
+ p8 n+ s7 q3 K+ |4 Q) @* S1 L> 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
7 B2 J7 J0 f7 S6 n0 x! `> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
; j0 l: S% b  s# j>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 v: u2 R0 A' D, H5 E4 [  _3 B> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
1 }4 d# @" X6 v5 [$ W> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
0 }8 R7 i6 x* g3 S> 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
> 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.
  ], M: e3 s5 J) d' W% ~/ ]* }> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) s9 t/ y8 ], @; b$ q> right back to the pitcher.
+ V$ K4 U' `3 T  R7 _+ E>
> 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
4 f) _3 [( R" y! _+ `> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
) {* g3 F6 r  D& ~> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
# U1 b6 @% F+ R' V> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 Z: Z% _6 F: X7 t1 O. `: p! ]> 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
- I2 L7 h2 X" @3 Z> 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
$ }+ @, O1 W8 ?; k> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
/ E$ w0 ^+ E0 P+ X3 B> circled the bases toward home.
* i5 ^+ q( }# e9 W>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
) r/ Z, u. V! n3 B>
> 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!'
# j' F) ?, f/ p$ V$ [1 _>
; D. G8 }$ M! t* l! f> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 H3 l2 C+ L; |5 X4 N$ D+ z( R> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
0 l# U# r1 z+ f> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
8 ?1 S% o7 p2 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
5 [* O! D3 l; F4 `! G> into this world'.
7 v7 G! E2 P( I* t>
> 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
* a  n- K4 A) v' d3 e  m0 i2 V> 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
& X' {3 |# U/ m> 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
/ h* r) \* U, U: J, S2 o. c  X> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" n$ E7 `  Q# M; O9 M2 W/ A> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
' j- A: K2 h$ J3 r$ ?" x> 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
: @& Y7 {% Y8 o3 |2 A# K" f> '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
: q+ T$ d& {* y- D" N2 k! f% x5 z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
5 S% `) [. e: o- i& ]> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 p5 e8 i$ t! j- D' {5 O> 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?
, b# S. q( p, C, [  t>
% C. ?( _& T/ O2 B# s9 n> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
2 k1 w7 R$ c9 w! z: g>
! _! g0 [7 L& A- `4 }: B0 C3 V/ n> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
0 w  M: }: o( u! `: g4 U5 p> 2. Forward
>
. |$ Y; H; y3 e5 `5 D. I> May your day, be a Shay Day.