Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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1 o" j! d5 k( Y9 m> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
1 w  }* [) \2 \> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ M$ f" K* f7 I% `' S( g0 l> 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
: y! E& ?: @( R, d> staff, he offered a question:
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, K3 m8 k! Z5 L> '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?'
>
& ?$ t& x5 ~. ?- P2 {! u> The audience was stilled by the query.
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  o6 q+ B0 C, s, k7 [> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
3 n* o8 D- A! T0 L4 p) M1 q> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, s/ ?! k, A, W- [$ B  W> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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) q  K! H" A  R/ y& w& W> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) ]- u5 b" A1 [4 J> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
) [0 s# b! i! c: ]$ Z1 p> 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,
4 B0 U1 @1 _. r, a1 v" @) }> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ O+ I5 }+ w' h: ]6 c> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 r& a, A7 J& @% `> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
, U9 Y8 d, m0 E9 g/ q> 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.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
; w8 N; J7 b* `: F, b2 \3 D/ C> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
3 A6 R5 ]3 l* x4 c> 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
2 H& I2 Z+ G- c6 s! Y$ `1 k. |, s> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
4 ^3 P' {" H* Z( W# h* i* I/ N> 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
; o- p+ p( ~/ z- C" ]> 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
5 `* ?( @1 M6 @" O6 n0 v3 w> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
. M8 k$ m' I3 {3 q> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
2 m% k$ o) }1 f> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
+ I" C; T4 F' E: ?) F> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ s- X. }/ u% l1 S& Y& 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
> 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
% v7 k- T% a& y4 W( z8 H> right back to the pitcher.
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$ F* S1 Q2 U3 Q) \* ]) j% C> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
! a% c/ j2 Z. I! h& W5 V& c  t> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
" E, Q1 z6 Q8 |8 n7 s# t6 \  t$ [- V> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
) Q/ c4 v- m* K4 `6 t* K; x2 f> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
) ?( |1 Z. l( ^' T# t> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
1 X0 Y' r0 `2 V6 I5 s- q9 m> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
. d+ u6 Q. N; d" P" `# X: V# ?> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
+ E6 R. R% E4 |. v2 z% S) t+ X> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
! D- Y/ [; K0 X$ ]+ G8 j# z  d& a> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
( T: R2 M* Q2 j( e* y8 f% n( G2 N) @> 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
+ A$ M: A9 G/ R  ^# F- ?, L> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
$ Z3 c. M/ x1 t0 r( ~- P, W- a( W> 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
& r: y# b$ Q$ l4 m, X. L> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
7 E: [6 Y& L+ n, J* D> circled the bases toward home.
>
9 V4 E5 t3 D: O, X> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> 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!'
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# T* Y; N$ R! }% q> 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
4 U" f7 w+ q" j; _> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
! e1 @1 b0 {" T& [! F" c> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 R" T- B8 l' B> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
( G( H- ?/ q' d" N" s> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' X  M- A, r! }2 U& e) p: y' A> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
5 }& }( Y* T* C; @% C) k9 L1 m> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
' j1 S% L: J* E6 ]; A* t8 d> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
$ m& D& f. x8 h* q$ v1 _> 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
6 b  v1 x* _; ~0 o> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
# l7 [: ^- J1 `) L8 V> 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
' E" T9 ?9 [8 o% ]$ p$ z. [! c> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
) ]3 Y. L7 ~  N# q/ P> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
7 Z2 \% y. @! r" b  {2 ?> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
) R! ~" K; L( v. s* w> 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?
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  k, Z2 o( q" s- b5 M9 y1 {1 _> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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4 u" F5 q+ f8 C) l! N3 C> You now have two choices:
8 c/ B. S- N0 J4 x+ D$ {> 1. Delete
, `$ l; ^/ H0 A  r> 2. Forward
>
/ r$ a* o" E: P4 X> May your day, be a Shay Day.