Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
! ]0 T( c0 a7 k: J: \> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
* v; @  e. W% X> same choice?
>
; f0 y, n( u, N, ^) E" @0 Y- t> 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
7 o$ X. H+ j  n* }& R7 s; b> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
+ n0 {8 Q6 o5 J: l' U8 ]2 M1 e, a! E> staff, he offered a question:
>
- x2 H% S! y" G2 P( T> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
  M- S& R" D# w' y0 R>
0 V9 E, p, W( V& p> The audience was stilled by the query.
1 T& d4 c2 t: {( w/ x>
& S: |. k. s' j- j. W* t: M> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
5 v0 [+ @, Z& t* p8 C4 S4 z> 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 L2 D7 I& r, [8 x> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# |* _6 R1 ?/ f7 a. O. G# m) p> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
/ ^9 M# T0 w( I6 N5 W' s. y3 Q> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
! @+ a6 i5 Y6 ]/ h>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' q8 h- D8 M. d/ Q1 b3 e- X8 \> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
& y9 L# e# A( |9 g: u/ V: n& \8 f7 L> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
  |4 H7 k" e+ f* Y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> 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
5 n! {& H+ J& f$ A+ W5 ?0 O& o> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
# L' `' B' w, ], I> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
) Z5 J; D. k. Y, |3 N( L- r; h' `> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
' }" r- p, u) [4 D: a, u* ?8 o" D> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
8 M6 W* F- k( m' [- b; D> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
' |3 Z$ F" Z5 t2 s5 {* 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
8 v0 I+ Q* D- J% ]1 b, P: b1 x> 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
8 @3 F8 M* R4 {> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
9 `& S4 R+ Q( S1 [> 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
2 z: z1 C. p/ a2 a" R> right back to the pitcher.
5 Q" ]$ a! W/ b0 z>
; t9 V' C- b+ Z; x1 d% i/ g> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 M% @. d+ Z  B! G& H' @> 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.
0 f2 ^, v. Y1 L2 x5 D>
/ K1 y3 v( U  W1 E8 C> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
# V) w  `6 B! o$ M' E* y> 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,
1 }  b9 E) Z: h> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> 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
% e$ c. O0 N: ^( ]( k> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
+ H# d) f# \8 J2 n! \; K> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
! y% l; }. o. f* e2 U$ L7 A4 }> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
* t" O1 j) l* a- e> 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
( Q! m* D; E+ t  k> circled the bases toward home.
! L! Y6 z' C; T  I>
0 T* S7 `. t* `7 |> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
, ~. K! I- |3 ]6 z2 {4 y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
0 K8 v5 P' s4 _" g6 Z8 j) O>
> 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
, E: R2 A9 e. ]7 T, V0 ]; R  k> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
$ I: l4 b3 L1 K8 W% U( j> game for his team.
& `1 S, z, o3 Z% N! c, `: k: j$ y>
9 A' s/ g- c: ]. J% I> '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
; m) P0 \* e$ \  w' D; z> into this world'.
>
- @' O% g1 K# Q$ Z, I5 p5 V> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
, I0 S) U' K6 o& `> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
0 m" p+ a" k4 t6 _+ V) h> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
# ]) {: L' b% r7 X6 y>
0 X& q, T. S. o5 |8 d> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* W$ i9 C) M& U, _> 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
7 K% C* ^1 x3 k3 E" b5 e> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
4 w3 q, v1 f8 U: {>
# `( W/ B+ J8 T6 W' m$ [> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
- T% E4 ?- T' U6 M8 [: v, H$ p> 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
$ ^9 b+ z! z) K, r" w+ W) @9 o> 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
- B, v1 K) H; p> 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?
>
- b0 s! V* H6 W" ?8 s$ i4 o2 `> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
( ~# N, l0 W% R> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
; M1 E- l& W. [> May your day, be a Shay Day.