Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
; D) d+ L! W; A( C> 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
6 i4 b# H3 c- Q/ @/ F> same choice?
>
. C1 J! G% h4 S9 D; Q> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ r: g2 A/ k7 h0 V6 {, {2 a: b> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
+ A5 [7 x' n3 d# ~4 m2 R3 e2 ]+ ?> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
* ]2 r6 L( M7 w$ M& w> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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
* ~- n4 i! m3 b6 s9 q( F+ w) t> natural order of things in my son?'
>
+ J* ~, K3 f8 x2 p1 x> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
4 @% y3 [& ]4 U- H> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' Z9 q8 j3 C$ L2 F# N> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
; B2 m" U1 L' I+ u0 S! S. |2 _> treat that child.'
>
8 }5 y5 A; V8 o> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
1 l+ y9 \, d: ~  t> 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
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
' x* x( F: O/ s% J1 \6 I> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
  c  {0 L* `2 Q8 j. N7 t' {+ }) ^: ^> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
1 d. W) y  z/ N> 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
" Y0 N/ T5 O/ U8 f> 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
# L2 o  y1 o/ ~" I$ j8 y. {> 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
7 S( h& z/ m% A8 O+ S> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
2 r! W2 t' D% L> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
, C0 R; B5 a$ w+ H+ i% F. ^! T> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
! A# [5 ^* w5 E% D9 ~> 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
3 M& t" V6 T3 u8 E( r> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
" P" b: q0 {0 `6 ~1 I1 F" [> 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
% o3 J& @+ h. K3 k7 X> 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
/ }6 n4 K. f1 m1 s7 w1 J> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
; ?; l! A" g, X( i* |+ Q# Z> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
7 a) G# T9 p0 u! f$ g0 G5 b, L& m>
9 K6 i. f7 F9 a# r3 [) m> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
" h+ G' U4 f4 U> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
/ F9 J, v) S8 u/ q> out and that would have been the end of the game.
" ~5 G2 x( n1 a& U3 ^/ }>
, \' x: [5 S! F0 O> 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
1 y4 N0 H1 m4 T> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
, q0 a/ b* Y5 \( T; L( e> wide-eyed and startled.
6 P, E. z( V8 X# z>
; }6 t+ w7 U0 f# S. l/ Q> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) @. H6 h* h. C! c; {> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
6 m; F" u3 Z; L4 @5 ?8 x. I> 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
( W" d/ A6 O- n5 p> 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,
+ y7 A0 E3 |+ r' v> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
1 }: w) I  L. m>
> 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' ]2 v& v( j# g* H) t! Z> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
0 g' y1 x# m8 d; v+ r9 L> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
3 w4 G0 m5 m+ A" Y; {* D/ l> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
8 y  E# |# z; s5 b) ~7 F( N> game for his team.
4 G" {  j+ y; Y" K" t3 c>
+ C2 D: U. ~  y% K/ {. g> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" p, ?. [0 X4 k/ p8 |> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
+ Q* i3 g, ^1 G) U3 @+ Y0 j- C> into this world'.
! h% E" b* w8 P, u$ w, p7 f0 n>
> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
# l) ]2 U: n" z; Y2 d> 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
5 c* E! ?: e2 w3 U> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
: K1 ?2 z: ?' i9 H0 J) R>
$ E6 w, v& Z, O! J  s/ o; e2 u  ]> 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
& D% s! {8 C; c0 Z' H, i$ p> '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
> 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
0 R3 Z. \) [3 `9 i$ j8 F> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
* O) x# L3 @1 a5 A# J1 _# P> bit colder in the process?
8 e0 c- @3 N6 b( Z/ L>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
% |9 l! T' H5 i" N6 C* t>
! V7 A( f- j- o. p7 _  G5 N> You now have two choices:
8 n* {# q' k3 U. f' s6 V7 ]> 1. Delete
) F! k3 [% x) l> 2. Forward
9 u4 b$ Z; \2 k1 _9 q  Z% p1 [# k>
, f, f2 {; |" u! c7 l" j1 l; S6 w> May your day, be a Shay Day.