Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
3 |9 l/ R0 k. t+ A1 b) h>
7 D0 D+ F( H. e0 N% N. B; i> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. x- c3 [2 U6 w" X' O> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
/ q- C) p2 l5 G8 D0 e>
2 E7 o( B6 ?2 v) q- w9 I& }, }$ Y> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
9 B9 g$ U& X1 e6 u" M. b- y>
/ u6 X) q. n, n' q> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
% @- c, }' c, t: }  T/ Y) ^> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
, _5 u, _- s$ P9 D- }6 j8 R> 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.
>
/ U2 X9 W- D% Q' a% p> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
; e! B7 P  N. p, y> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
$ y5 ?6 ]/ C9 o7 i! p7 |>
> Then he told the following story:
. ^! a; Q; x0 L' ^8 L& K! d>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
  ]6 O7 i1 I5 `# _> 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
, t9 o9 k0 }: X! H3 j> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
. Y  p3 v! p6 h& P0 L1 W>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
, M+ f' {3 P$ |/ d> 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
% p1 y8 R: G6 E$ W: E' |* O& a+ M> inning.'
( H) R) K' |* M4 z2 h. Z' {- @>
" e! r2 T: j" C: T. q! p> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# P; X$ ?+ h7 a9 K7 M; D! M, H> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
; }7 Y8 T3 v8 i+ W- s8 B> 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
( J1 j& l9 P' p. S7 K> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
! U: [, a2 w# O5 |* ^> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
, N% H* U0 A$ r9 T> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
6 o! }/ A4 J5 s& P2 g0 ?> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> 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
& N: z% F& t$ i- P% s) j> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
6 D4 p4 R  i; A( m2 Y$ s> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
5 ~  f+ S; `! B+ ^1 E: N> 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.
: y1 Y2 g4 ]& G) N# f8 ?> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
4 v- d8 q" Q$ U  h0 ?>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
, h. N/ ?8 o% L! M' S2 ~, p> 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.
. ?+ `* R4 }: g0 S" w: H% z>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ n0 X+ ]  G" I6 j$ t> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( H; D2 ^% v+ V% o  X" E> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
2 @9 ^( @/ X3 z# }# N> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. E( F" a" X( G% t! e3 o* P* 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
% C3 h1 I( Z+ G% T  Q/ R  \; K> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
) L5 ~+ l! S# O) P5 a- Y>
> 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!
* _; G0 X$ n2 b2 q> Shay, run to third!'
  [, C0 D- i7 c& M>
* j9 t3 b* R$ `+ e> 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
# S& @$ ?/ X, ^> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
4 e& H8 v: L1 L) i* J1 [>
7 ~! \' q; f" O! W9 x3 ~9 M0 b- l; Z8 X> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  `/ X, G* G* H7 `> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
, w# S) T' T+ S7 E$ `0 W5 B( o> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
9 c! e* m9 T, ^> 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!
$ P$ [% {" ]$ j5 [>
9 d5 H9 z) C! K0 C/ |> 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
5 \! G. c  S* l# z* F> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> 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
& n* e. U+ ]# R5 X* T> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
/ ^7 e$ ]* `: k+ h7 s7 C) i> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
. n  |1 K  _1 p2 N9 H9 {> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
' r) C, H* v6 v7 H4 F  s4 q5 S> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
7 k3 g6 h/ C% v7 a: }. q>
* o! `' h7 a5 ~0 K1 |- S+ R# R/ N> You now have two choices:
8 ]; J9 Q2 r6 c6 L> 1. Delete
: O( Z# {+ B+ x4 b! D' H; v! V> 2. Forward
9 \0 U$ I1 O% R# i>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.