Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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+ v, d# P. g+ s0 V> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 P! Q$ {% V( Y; Z1 z1 b# j* M> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
* h5 A4 m2 {2 M. ~0 V4 S2 A; H" q1 `# X> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
/ a1 l' M; j3 W% a! ~/ ?" `: H> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
9 Y! g, v& A& k$ z0 u4 _2 b> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
7 R# p9 o* b! o0 k5 ]> staff, he offered a question:
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4 E0 F2 z, p7 o/ }8 P4 H> '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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
' r  H8 e5 }- }4 Q( q7 P4 X. O> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
+ n' M) C3 m( K9 L) y2 p> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
1 Q% U: d9 }# [% t- _# w; p> treat that child.'
>
1 |2 Y' o9 F6 `8 k& r) \3 \> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
> 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
( D1 M/ N2 g& O8 w: q: d> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
, L  F! Y0 h: C* j  e* _> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
! W# q4 v/ A: b  P# N> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
, _1 P1 u  P  r- S2 i  ]& \7 L> inning.'
>
6 K8 C0 K& D+ t" [  Y> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' L& g' v" f+ z# |# p% Z" ~- c> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
4 S5 t0 V5 C# V0 \- j# G& ]> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 ]! S0 Q- ~4 V% c4 X' _7 P> 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
) ?" d) a. j1 `> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
( n7 n1 G7 i) D> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
9 [8 s5 @9 X# H( x5 w- L. h7 T  h> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
* A; y. y" G" J; Z) t, ]> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
0 h  ^$ b' R" |  K8 _+ n> much less connect with the ball.
8 |& Q( S# A0 _; E1 A' Z> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
2 }" ?+ H! I( s> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
# c8 n- ~; P( }3 U* Z> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
' X- t; Y; u4 L. H+ l> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 l6 F  V0 J( o6 A1 R> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
9 |% V* I6 O0 J+ c5 c> 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
& ^+ _- S  d) G$ ?' T* U/ K> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
" h5 Q6 z4 b; J  X/ j> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
4 A6 _2 Q: m  C" l> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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5 e8 b7 o+ i7 `% a3 n: f> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) g1 Y0 y- U2 m4 _$ D3 ^! A/ d> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
, ~- n* S% T, ?: }. X> 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,
3 w" ?' a. Y7 ^+ D  g9 n$ @> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
>
/ t, K0 \& T1 \- X! A% f  A> 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
0 q" y, k" d5 V> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
2 H4 G( _, m8 s* _, \. Z> game for his team.
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* }2 g% S0 u1 j2 G# w( m> '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
> into this world'.
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" l# @$ M  [; {' I1 I- O> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
$ X, q, d" D/ i> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
0 u$ c, W, l5 W4 b# a+ Z+ w. b- s> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
: U+ m' C& i" h. j  C" t4 {7 W> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
' x& _2 N8 e% B> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 y. }0 B! ~, b> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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. ?4 B4 _! V# W2 ^2 b2 w9 w8 V8 m& Q* h> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; T3 }: W, `" {+ v, s- Z: Z> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
0 ?+ [' B+ k7 Q* V> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 n# Y: S! j/ r" v> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
, |3 F* Z. C  ^5 W% n> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
3 x* B& {& P. j$ t* ]> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
4 _" {$ z1 r3 D6 q3 q; E- M* F> You now have two choices:
! Y, j2 `0 ~8 z6 z( H8 _> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
$ p* a  k1 b( `' J) ~' U> May your day, be a Shay Day.