Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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/ ?- p% m5 C( {> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 D# i- I  n! D, X6 ~1 w2 \> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
$ m: m5 f5 q# }8 v) L, B0 u> same choice?
>
> 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
* \! U5 |! M5 @+ W5 z> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
. O4 i# A2 g8 i  B> staff, he offered a question:
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; U# u6 C1 S# h5 a  [" l$ P> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# G# l) j: e, M* Z! n1 O" a) j> 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
& G1 N$ b. {3 C# |5 E7 w2 l> natural order of things in my son?'
>
+ a( v% v0 u2 p, {> The audience was stilled by the query.
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  n/ p, A. m9 z' j6 i( @> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. K6 B$ }; j, v  J2 ^9 \. \9 E> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
( t0 Q! U- K& f- B8 F2 j; E5 _' S7 u" _> treat that child.'
>
! a4 x- g5 f0 C1 ~> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
1 i2 I, h+ k4 n0 a# T' o. D" R> 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,
+ w2 s. K& _: X> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
  b7 }' G0 k# Z# G6 e> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
+ m; \% M1 U1 H; R- A/ V4 T, H$ a> 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
- Q8 t* o9 F! y, W. p> 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.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' {' Y# u, _0 ?4 c3 C. _2 f> 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
% L( `8 k$ }2 P) a+ f> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
5 \$ R0 |( @5 T9 c> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
2 }* W0 d8 D" p: c, y> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
' t% T8 y& ]% i8 p6 p> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ b9 p) _2 q; L5 Z$ n> 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,
9 o2 y) P- d( x' I> much less connect with the ball.
- a2 t3 _) H: d9 V" Q4 |  T> 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
1 ]% [5 d& O6 |5 v$ G> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
7 q2 G7 ]+ c  v. m- z6 `+ k> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
# F+ Y, c) c" y5 W1 i; T> 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.
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# g/ o2 G( @0 C! {0 g" N" q> 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
7 o; \9 p9 F% k5 D- p0 |> 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 w9 e1 x4 V8 \- l) x" R- L+ ]% n' ^> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
3 Y. o6 v3 ]3 @" [$ o+ I+ 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
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
! B4 ?5 a8 p- R> 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
7 I  N" y* _; P2 `3 `( k3 g, q: y> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
, H' S" M( N( I- {3 m+ k# `> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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# N' N5 d8 j- J3 T/ L8 V> 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!
( A( m$ ]# S+ I( s> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
% P, p& e3 V7 Z4 l> 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
' \2 B0 x6 E( P. A6 m6 {# [> game for his team.
>
6 c' H8 |0 {5 d' I, z5 L> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 A- }" H: k* r8 B> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> 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
> 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
, g7 J  r9 q/ @9 r. C# I, O> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
* ~8 w& Q* n2 `0 l6 U; y& F> 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.
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> 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
+ W- @- i# H( ?8 m3 L> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
8 a, M3 r2 ^+ ~  J% |> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! |; r3 Z; M  A+ ^4 q> 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?
>
1 {* y: g" y% ?7 T> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, u& `9 s4 d  \) j* m) e+ s> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
' k$ k' b8 G1 g> You now have two choices:
' g, j( {  [2 c! J: `- G5 L> 1. Delete
+ x$ A8 X; t4 o# U7 t8 e> 2. Forward
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+ k/ v( V# S9 I; k5 S4 b$ |> May your day, be a Shay Day.