Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
! i3 d+ w+ m+ W: V> 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
> same choice?
>
5 e" u) ^5 C% o/ I  P8 l> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
8 d# @) m0 Q2 A% V! Y% N# G" i> 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
/ [- {  g- q" V- q> staff, he offered a question:
>
5 l2 T7 H* ^# U9 h% ~# u: V( G> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- P4 Q3 y* U, R; W' Z> 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?'
>
6 w0 Q  ?9 T1 m> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
$ ?9 I! X. d1 m2 ]) u/ `& D> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
; C( Q% |2 D6 u# j  z: O' m4 G: S+ Z> Then he told the following story:
0 ^+ O7 R4 x  J7 Q: Q1 M4 d# y( G8 H>
# }! v8 G3 @8 T& j. z> 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
0 F: a  h4 {' @, i> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
2 D" Y3 H7 y( O/ D  W> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
1 E4 O3 ^+ `( Q  ]: D> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
1 T' x# H2 k' k4 Z# {1 u> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
) O1 h) X9 R& w/ d  |# K8 z9 L>
> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
* K1 O" \3 t4 B2 F> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
% j' E. Y, h+ y. H8 @. P> inning.'
>
. k1 ~0 L9 N. G* ~! N) U! E> 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 d) n# y2 z1 }6 Z, u> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
+ F3 T* K2 y+ o> 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
9 v' H) q) \8 `# M> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
0 `$ L1 A  b& P) @0 S/ [0 v( F! a) V> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
0 Y; @( L# g) r- G) C/ R: D> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
9 I% r$ J* W" t+ R> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
+ f1 q, N1 d/ o> next at bat.
>
& f" x, B  q) h; P> 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.
/ ~1 ^3 F! X- {3 g0 J> 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
. D: s% s" b! T/ m> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
! j" a! `: f" \" I5 J> 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.
! k/ A* V: V" x/ h7 x* g- I# W> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
! r4 ?9 `/ l! R1 b, g* F* ^& P>
* `% T+ ^6 W" D  L; H$ V+ h2 t' t> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 e: t* T7 B4 e: f5 q> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
/ c. `/ c) }0 A0 |) y0 L> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
$ Y" F& k$ U* h& T> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
  X  `) f  H; H. g) W> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
9 |. G: g% O5 F! l5 M, d> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
) `0 Z& P; i% X; O+ |) ^! }> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
: v! r3 C) {% h& N/ Y2 i>
; k3 `( Y! r: p6 ~> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 r7 g% o  j8 T> 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
) a  P4 d0 y% X3 V> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. z$ q. t$ D6 R> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
% u9 Q7 W0 b" O% r! v. u" ]> 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
% y: V& n) H' [3 m> circled the bases toward home.
" [. k5 q# T. M% R. q>
( t2 @) `6 m. b8 x$ y' x1 h> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
* W2 n2 x; Q. m" f3 Q! B0 i, [> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 ~) x2 j% O) E* r! |> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
& {7 J. g. d! J; \- Y% F" x> Shay, run to third!'
  S6 r, l: J- ]' z3 a>
+ R9 j  @" H2 e: |5 A> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
) Z$ Q: s* L" a% V9 x/ R1 w5 c> 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
8 h% Y( a& |- M> game for his team.
2 a6 m/ S1 ]  U7 H6 F/ J* x>
> '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
! T( q: o- X( R> into this world'.
8 O* a8 U" f* _, }>
6 P0 `! B  I2 k6 m> 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
4 c' \/ h0 q  B: w/ i> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
7 P! F& k/ Q/ Y6 n; o7 r> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
+ Z  Q- }, X/ H+ N7 C+ d$ N> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
% c8 D4 V9 X1 z: u8 x7 l2 Z> '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
( C3 `: Z' e, F% k! W; A> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
8 F( ?! Q$ f4 r& k4 ^  ?3 ~> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
& F  l' e" s4 j; ~! l1 r- o4 e3 J>
6 `- k( d4 e. S  m> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.