Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
5 k3 [0 d4 h# }, }6 c, \" V) r> 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
; \; z: d- @9 C> same choice?
>
> 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
; Q7 Y+ e% j' Y4 l! V4 }" Z$ k> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
; K- _: D3 e8 {/ L( K+ Y>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
, S, F; [* ^! g> 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?'
* b1 W. N: l. ~- h' b" B>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
- E! V7 I7 b8 f( ~2 U7 `6 B> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! s% G( y6 H* A! ?) i# s> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
- ]4 F% \4 r& m' @( K% B, e. Q> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
" _( _+ [4 O( S$ g& o& X8 @* n>
/ f3 X( f7 t6 c$ V( d* o4 X7 d> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
8 y' y0 w1 u9 O> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
3 [# p) v1 L& L> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
5 h7 R% l& j' u, B* j( C3 j> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
) d( g' h" ]3 ~% l' A> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
3 r1 Z5 D" n- A, I0 D" z>
> 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
+ F, m6 e( L3 Y8 J4 F; Z> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
7 ?' J% Q5 x2 s$ t> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
7 G* g; W: `' a> inning.'
>
> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
* n- {! F) z+ N% ?& P( n> 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
& o7 e7 Y7 }9 d+ {4 k" 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
> 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
+ B" |% K- N1 D4 ~> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
- K& U, Q" b: i> next at bat.
>
0 r, F- E% Y1 S6 k6 z8 I0 Q9 Y> 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,
/ t8 L' I! G  V3 ]; n9 ]" L> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
* L$ ?' y/ W& V> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
/ j8 H5 ^+ f1 @, A> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 x' u  }, \0 b7 E) c7 W" A> 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
5 s3 ]8 H( z% u: Z5 g6 U% j& k3 l> right back to the pitcher.
>
0 j. H1 R% y2 A# g: o/ ~> 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
/ r4 ^) k6 ^9 u) `> 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
5 k& S7 R; h/ K3 |$ l4 |> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
5 S# x* `8 h( f" u& W; `> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) i8 ?! k! K; H. c> 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
- p0 G9 n9 p' }; F> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
# D6 u6 f; m' A> 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
8 n, ]3 ?& N( Z1 N> 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'
, L( A* s5 `, [8 B( S7 a1 i: N>
% Q# v# G- P! d) [" L; i> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
9 J  H8 D2 p0 i; d  J7 f> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
7 K- f0 Q% C7 B. n> Shay, run to third!'
% X1 c7 w' n* x3 E  n! e6 {>
> 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
" F  t0 i0 {* A8 `( a: @> game for his team.
>
% ^& O. K- t6 n) ~> '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
' f# Y/ z1 b, o* a1 I2 e/ [> into this world'.
>
> 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
7 z# |* z" ]) I0 F! Z/ ^3 X> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
$ N' N$ A5 i) H> 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
8 D% k$ T: p- q& O- P& b3 w> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
7 X  X1 E! d9 }- V0 C7 p7 M/ z> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
: `& u' m5 Y5 ]5 `* a' w> 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
> 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
* S. T; g3 i: A" K> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 l$ i# y- L7 B6 {) D> 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
1 E6 x* p$ L* f& \> bit colder in the process?
: \1 C; f$ }/ R5 R) W- f>
& F3 P! a) ~) h9 ]  u> A wise man once said every society is judged by
. g1 G' _- Q: B3 g2 F$ o! y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
) v# J- p9 l* Y2 f>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
5 o) A8 O$ c* W3 f' A, I> 2. Forward
>
7 m" T9 u; I: q, u2 x  p- L8 Y> May your day, be a Shay Day.