Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
7 a  p. f9 p1 Z6 e/ }; Q0 Y# j> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ M" ]4 x' q, R) y+ {& \( `> 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,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
  i6 c6 L# \- ^! P- v6 T> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
" }+ d1 D9 q* v8 F/ [- y> staff, he offered a question:
. g+ Z; N) E$ G>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
/ I+ n6 L9 e+ t4 J- j( K. t- a0 P> 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
& C0 m* F1 l! {6 Y: {' I7 @> natural order of things in my son?'
>
. l1 v( B0 A. Q: `4 a# ^& G- ?7 ]> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 z4 _7 R# f, O/ k$ u' e> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
- w: y8 V/ I$ ^>
> Then he told the following story:
4 U8 F+ x# Z" O8 A>
> 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
> 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
) {# }# c5 l! {> 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
6 @+ T! }; v1 x> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
  i8 o6 ^% n. K) z5 f> inning.'
>
. d4 x. A- r+ c& r$ Z+ n. p> 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
/ D( r2 N6 \/ |* m9 X( j" A5 T: Z> 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
. T# M! l$ K% |> 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
* y6 S6 t) m) ~$ ~' G, s> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
% V$ E( L& U* p6 e. X* ]+ j4 L4 ^+ r> 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
+ ?0 Z$ s' n( Z) X. s> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
" k0 I, W, @8 c> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
2 M; _1 i4 B6 E! p0 W! U> 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
* ]/ m# _1 ]6 z2 l8 {2 s$ T# k+ q> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
) [  l, R* E$ ?1 j5 ^6 B' b/ w) f> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
, l' W# j" R. [. r/ D' K2 v3 x* B> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
, L9 v+ A) @+ R9 o# k>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& D; w# @, w( U" Z" @> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
+ n3 y% T$ O+ T& Z' `0 S> 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
  {, d. a4 B: ]% F$ `% T: y- \> 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
( `' X5 O( @" P- p8 |4 [! \> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
: Y5 _  K5 ^  d" L: O& S6 @> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
& ~9 K) w% u9 @& R0 o: g( \. D> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
- \, u1 r0 u4 X2 F) K> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 \" W, ^. @8 z. ]> 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 j1 A# @. m' e( _* z4 B8 Q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
, P; R4 @' ~# r- G> circled the bases toward home.
2 d) p5 I8 _0 K" w8 A) p>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
+ V' h' h) R8 p! L# u: ^0 `>
8 h7 S& Q  ^  G9 y; o# \> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- d$ Z. o  Y. z( {> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
$ S9 i; _# E, q1 x3 a0 n$ h> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
4 Z. L0 m! t; n0 N1 \- a+ }> game for his team.
>
+ Q: x  A! W3 ^9 B. v> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
5 N4 E! }. U) F8 E> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
% i' @" g. ]$ r; K6 \> into this world'.
& z# A, _; Z0 w6 n4 f  J1 i9 P>
; t7 q$ u% m4 q$ {9 l> 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 _6 s, B' ?- y: R0 k, Y> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
! _: Z: E% g+ U3 d. F>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 ?/ f- R+ i/ X( @2 c/ U# [1 _' R> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
5 `1 Q0 O  j: _7 M+ D> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 W1 x2 Z2 f; X7 I> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
% N7 Z9 L6 |3 N) D>
" @, [0 R  z- ^% s( Z7 c) l> 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
9 y6 \) o7 W! T> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
7 v3 d0 I/ V4 ^8 A. [% O> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
$ |& B, J  p5 C. a/ A! R* t* G> 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
" ?3 `; U6 j; L/ ]4 l5 j' G+ N> bit colder in the process?
>
# `/ o9 h; v8 u' R' V, m) r> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
" d! a4 x% \6 [! k% s- K>
' d: t% k8 z8 s. f  A; P" C; o0 E> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
8 q# g6 q  \$ V. z/ U> 2. Forward
1 L4 t1 g9 _/ Z2 J5 D>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.