Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
, }9 k/ K/ _+ [, B7 @8 _> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
& e$ ^( s- O) `! c. [> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
0 d6 ?. N+ L2 D9 U7 q# d> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
& }! R: W9 O- i' i> 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:
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/ t  x& B1 _7 P. h( \4 d& z( ~> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 Q  F+ }5 d- X1 Z> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
/ t+ p. w% z' G* K1 X8 z2 ~% ~> 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.
>
9 P% h: B# V* l5 ?! b# X> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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8 L* b8 M) g8 H( o> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: g- |/ [. \5 A9 Y> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
# h: {" m1 V! l0 u$ l5 n> 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,
" ]% B4 j* ^9 {) q' M0 o> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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7 e# _/ y. n3 T0 I# i4 @: }# g> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# F' x4 l7 O( V+ p: S> 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
* M: I/ g: @8 r> inning.'
& ~" m: {) q& i>
* M- D; Y' D, q> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
- m- t+ n4 C* s9 J$ d> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
> 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
; `3 N5 a. P+ M( ]- e! @> 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
9 ~( D  l0 S2 x2 h% z1 |- A: w+ g> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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, ~3 ^4 Y4 [7 f> 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,
: z! p' [: L. o/ w. q/ L> much less connect with the ball.
+ `  a* q1 C3 b" x  N1 u> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 F6 ?+ Q+ H2 ~- m' w> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
/ D* X) R- K: I1 D* E& j> 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
/ B" \1 ^2 O4 U. \% |/ [6 a> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
3 I# v; c4 _; T> 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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4 w* u3 W# s2 ?; N% ^> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 z, W; U. j0 p- Y/ g( d> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
5 p7 W1 u2 A( r# |0 K" b+ c> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
& v) f  I, T8 R0 ]9 ~8 U> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
3 j+ s& ^0 P' G! a> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
6 C6 X/ ~) a2 x* j> 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
> 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
' y; ~: o9 t, m> circled the bases toward home.
>
! e& ~6 Q% G' d/ W2 b* {> 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!
0 p' ]# y) ], k8 a: |> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 R) _( a6 e2 ?. ~5 y1 [> 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
> game for his team.
>
6 d# d+ q, c7 {: M3 q/ t> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
) [4 i# d8 h# |> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
& h- b0 G) g+ R4 r4 K% N> into this world'.
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, j/ Q* z3 x8 g. c> 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
. h) G: k$ e3 [> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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3 E8 l: @3 ]& E$ F2 u3 R; [4 z/ 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
4 s0 F, ~7 ?( W* u> 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.
>
, k7 d# V2 q$ [. x+ `! |7 i> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
7 ~% F( B2 n( l4 W( n5 c8 W$ ?> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
) ]+ z5 X# a9 X> '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
  V) l  P: S0 n8 o+ Q> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
9 e% O, W) j6 {1 y- d8 J* {> 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
7 E! M' y8 C7 N. l2 ?> bit colder in the process?
4 @1 G( j7 ]- j1 M>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 q3 p! a3 H  X* h: X> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
& J; f0 d. j0 b3 ~3 q) x8 Z> You now have two choices:
$ W( ~3 B! H8 H5 o+ w1 t) N! e% I> 1. Delete
( b; z1 J/ k" o* t0 d* S> 2. Forward
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4 z; O  y/ x+ S) i* [8 p. W) |9 J> May your day, be a Shay Day.