Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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' I2 a! Q# n: U# Z$ m. \( N> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  p& T' N/ c* A0 C8 o" _8 Q8 a8 m> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
, h/ f; Z# r) t1 F5 ^* H+ c> 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
* y. q/ M9 G  o1 T2 x! |" \' e- \> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
; K( U! m7 U3 n- m+ H2 m! U> staff, he offered a question:
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+ J) I* a# a' k4 ^9 T$ n; P> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 g0 k/ `, {  |( j8 h> 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
/ {; _7 r8 b8 y$ Y9 [> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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, m8 q8 |( H, r+ k  A> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
5 X( y2 W1 U5 c> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> 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
! V& P# {% \6 z  A4 q/ l/ @> 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
* j! v% q8 k' ~4 q- E> 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.'
>
, v. }8 U+ P8 U5 ?4 \1 s> 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
% G. ~# e, s* R/ v# _0 y7 \# @> 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
& `8 q0 N. H$ z2 c" Z3 u: c> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
. N" y/ t) M5 d4 V> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
* k% S7 D1 _! g' l9 U* t4 d- o, d  Y5 J> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
, V; p) u1 @4 ~3 S> 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
/ H  {2 A2 s+ X, k0 U% a* j> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
  {3 @' p$ U# b! d- ^, 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
3 Y8 Q$ k! z% m/ P9 ~2 k" g8 M> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
1 |$ M# n9 r( N> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
2 H* o- \. a$ w5 d: K  ?6 j> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
$ I3 D3 ]1 ?* Y$ P/ ?$ H> 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.
- Z3 r& d; L) l. f& p! \* g% c' U> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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7 @* L5 w- F/ \6 B0 l> 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.
>
> 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
, r9 i+ g* }6 {" i> 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,
8 Z% i' x( w$ N- t; d> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
0 u1 _, {* R2 @6 L/ n> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
, [% q" ?( y- O4 s3 q> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
$ K5 S; q; ~' u9 x6 L> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
7 ?0 G7 w  a, D9 m' c4 \- T% V> 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
- {' U2 W+ g: k3 {> 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
& k; n8 Z0 S8 M  ~> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
: q' l/ M6 s! g( a: U$ Z> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
9 e2 g0 H3 T# ^  m" a( S  a( V> 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
1 W  Z+ [9 U) Y; ^> game for his team.
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/ @2 G- g1 R( _, C> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
5 Z+ {, u7 {1 S  |9 P% V7 W> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
( i# n* W. `3 Z/ ^; v6 ~> 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!
>
" A+ [& {5 p" O> 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
( q5 ~2 M7 z; x2 I> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
; m1 G1 g; O5 P0 F/ d* |* f> 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
1 g. h: m3 p; N. T. w8 c" ]) v> 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
1 o" ]- ]  r2 F( s" X! `> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
5 Y+ ]- \5 t$ ]' k) ]1 \> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
1 Y% {) M4 U; C; a& C" \7 p* p> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
, W( d9 l" s* X6 B, V> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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5 Z. ~3 A, P0 w6 g% {5 r# Q" i2 B( J> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
  Y7 E2 E$ N/ c! S4 E& f6 _; D> 2. Forward
>
$ k! l  w2 I' P% p( @7 E: C% ?> May your day, be a Shay Day.