Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 D# Z4 A" {: O0 }> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
" `- d$ s: A/ f, \8 |> same choice?
>
( I7 a: u5 B; W- K# P> 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
+ Q% _4 z6 k; Y' Y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
# W5 c" C* W5 \) ?# y. h" o> staff, he offered a question:
0 R+ f3 p! P& A2 ^: }4 C; h- l9 G>
# F2 e. g, V. n& G* V> '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
, G2 r% L' L% Z0 E> natural order of things in my son?'
% D% Z1 W0 W' {: C# T>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
$ o, t" E# {7 g) U4 k& Y> 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
. p3 @* W: L& `9 b/ E, s> treat that child.'
. m; P4 H2 I+ v: L>
> Then he told the following story:
" |# R; h7 j4 l$ y>
> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
9 w3 H! R3 ?2 h> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
7 @$ j3 I; D( v2 k% m) L> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
5 r6 s0 Q% E5 F' E5 J8 j! S> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
4 P: F( y3 y4 f. V! O/ N2 \- o8 |> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
. }8 Z+ [: Y6 A: p$ \> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
& n( F' E+ H" S$ H8 r> inning.'
% ^& f4 f3 d! u& b/ V3 i>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
0 |: Z" C- ], X. U1 N> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
; @7 k: c: \$ U0 [' }  f4 y9 K> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
( u% v) w" o. k, h& h$ C. s+ \% E" x> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 S: Q& F- ]  P* |, U> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 N$ X9 `+ B: Z) F3 e> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
7 L. d& @  j$ ]  c8 Y> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
* j7 i4 C1 w) u( t6 o> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
9 n6 g" R' B) \7 F8 f' Z3 B> next at bat.
' G; D: d0 H) l2 {& M>
> 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
. }9 M( w$ N  O- H2 s  d/ E> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
- d! c% L/ u  B4 B  g7 Q> 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
% E& l8 n8 c' p/ |4 @> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
; u  {2 _# B0 D1 M> right back to the pitcher.
- A) W: Q! J6 D% b0 ~>
> 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
% A' I1 Q+ |& }$ ?1 S+ z7 x> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> 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
* \/ Q! Y* K' V> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
7 `4 o+ Z3 i: J- o- j3 b. Q; c& G4 {>
, R# a! {+ |* r' u5 U> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
3 u( t  k2 F" X; z" z> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
- i" L2 X5 J5 T6 y3 J> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
9 j# s/ d% E3 E1 J$ A! A0 Y> 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
4 a( B2 N5 A; L6 `> circled the bases toward home.
0 t5 \4 P( @2 C9 P) Z>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
, t7 D- D0 u$ l9 k; 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!
: s8 f+ s0 X7 K2 q7 y  z. a  G> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
" o" F9 t5 h  }+ v& K4 w> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 g3 Q/ \2 [9 p> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
; z& Y) `- y0 ^% d& O>
> 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
' n* X) K" w* j" M. B: u- |) u- ]- o> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
* }6 G) p1 P1 }6 `+ P# C2 I& i& Z* ]> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* S' _% c8 c/ R; V3 c1 H> 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
9 E# ?0 e! w, K9 i, t> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
7 m* j$ K( |1 u- {+ k' E. x> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
8 p% h9 _; H! Z0 _4 q% A( ]; t>
# i' T# C2 r; C> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
4 p0 k+ {5 K" n" O; M, J  ~> 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
, }2 R  W4 m( j' H8 s, m8 p6 M> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
$ n, ?) g5 A. [% ^> bit colder in the process?
( ?/ H% e4 H. f5 G9 |" n: F1 m>
7 T! C3 C# K2 K# D> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
# q+ O9 {; W( U6 W2 q' D, p>
8 c/ }- o2 d/ R  S- f1 [& U3 g> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
; k, |' b) c2 e; \+ x# v. n  a. ?% Y>
2 i! c& n* \- i# T8 X9 Y/ h> May your day, be a Shay Day.