Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
. e: x$ Y+ o2 X; f# a> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; t- P3 k1 Z$ ]1 h5 Q5 _* [> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
) L' J! c7 P# R3 }: _. P6 L> 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
. |2 D( l! }0 ~! c1 ^* D> staff, he offered a question:
3 `  Y# E0 v( X! X( W  h>
! f6 N$ X8 \0 X> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
5 ]/ R9 h( m! B1 C> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 `8 h( H) X. f$ C1 ]# g> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
! o) d! ]- ?/ r+ E> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
& q+ R. q' H2 e0 E8 t7 ]7 L9 r) B> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% z, {1 r, d* t. z( E) {6 F> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
% n% x0 I( ?4 K; g' W0 J# y> treat that child.'
>
- ?3 z% h' x, |$ o: a/ b( `> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 |5 U! @9 E5 h$ i# i) J/ d> 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
" J; L: u- t, E8 A1 W5 }% k5 o> 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
> 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
> 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.'
>
0 U& D+ P; r* z> 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
, p: z4 ^4 ?7 H0 G" k> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
) G/ |% o, A. H$ E# n> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
: U- G3 ^" e8 |2 |& H) w> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
4 {7 G: ?- A$ m: k6 h> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
  T) ~4 R9 R# Y, ~7 B> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
2 c& N" P& |# C5 i> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
6 e' f3 `- C* x- Q+ a" l* v. g> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
0 a7 o" ~. ?, s2 S8 R4 |3 G> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
: e: v- V0 p# R) Y$ m> next at bat.
1 B6 B/ R% U) c0 B( b; J>
> 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.
% Z1 i4 n# _/ d7 e) K6 F) e> 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
' s2 l! i& c- B" S8 H6 A& z: P> 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
6 r. V# z% [3 m> right back to the pitcher.
7 D2 o" ~1 b/ S" m' a4 W8 v>
- q5 P# z7 G2 D> 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.
1 c3 ?! y0 i2 z1 }- g>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ ~3 E1 P7 e9 U, d$ E> 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.
>
2 I" G& U! B' q, F> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
2 n# @9 l) c. `  u, m> 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
> 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
4 l. F. Z( [+ l3 @- @6 `> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
5 q0 y( Q3 I. m7 t" X>
> 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!'
) \  [+ t5 r4 c2 m5 j1 @>
; A) e. P$ a% i. L4 Z. G> 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
- n) o/ S0 e3 V> game for his team.
  C, K8 g0 B* O. E5 V! O6 [. t>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
2 O$ Q; `8 ?% a) d$ C& Y- Q7 l0 O> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
% a& Z6 ]! _, o2 b- Y) ~& ]>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% L7 r1 c- Z) ], I* o5 s: ]% i> 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!
% F6 V0 u4 x. [6 P+ n/ q, N# p" a! n>
! }; d$ |0 z1 N  C) W> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
> 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
3 y$ _6 q6 {! s( j% [) N1 ^& j> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
% }, q! X$ D4 D# O- H> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
+ q% d& O1 K5 V6 a& ?2 r- X> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
7 @% N4 t3 U5 r6 P4 Q2 j/ i$ ^> 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?
2 t1 ~. F& B# c. p5 c( D>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
6 R2 y7 V  s+ c>
. x5 S6 I- u4 Q$ f> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
( ]) _$ T% j' I+ A# s5 N; Q>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.