Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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5 r: |! W5 u' ]! t( x$ o' L> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. O3 {* N  ~5 U" j> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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' A& Q- {% k2 A% e8 D& k> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
0 A1 Y, d% W: M/ M. O> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
5 T0 j9 s8 v. N) \" D3 v> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
7 J* o, j5 I6 `8 W/ W* w: l> staff, he offered a question:
>
9 |3 l% c( X; |" C9 N> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 h( B, Y; n* N> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
* O- S& `0 o& Z2 i" L  \> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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! O+ f/ H7 v5 h5 w8 W; C> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! Q0 N0 }8 y9 ~( E6 O- v6 q> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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1 z$ n4 }+ }, Z" k) {> Then he told the following story:
>
% |/ _, X9 z+ d9 a> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
2 b1 t) ?, C6 i9 I9 n( }( X7 I% m  p> 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
+ O' w' b: ~* F& G> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
) t+ c" x" W2 c* G  a/ Z> 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
> 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
( `" g8 T- k. v- E> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
( Z% h% [3 \9 S" I( \9 \> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
0 Z8 L9 u; ?4 ?" f/ X$ X- I> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 `4 {6 p. j$ j8 T8 y2 U% E: @& i> 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
3 b2 u. |' `/ W2 a* w> 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
. q2 ]4 Y* @. V% w4 E3 K> next at bat.
>
  q: D( B4 I8 g' A> 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
/ a( i, t9 i6 P$ w" L> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 e' }. k3 n% B> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
1 e4 l3 W7 x4 e/ {; \9 }> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
& c( W( h. g% x) j> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% q3 H# ~( H$ F: S# b> 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
+ `, o* _, F: b$ a& S- S. X> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
: X% D) Q- ^+ D" ^. {! l/ d3 Y# m- ]> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
0 d* c2 Z. O, K. H9 ~> 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
> 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
; N  w' C# ]+ k- r! h. m2 V% x" ?! i> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
* b. h2 v7 z2 d5 x' e  Z; z+ g> 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.
>
> 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!
/ p7 T: l8 s6 h3 I! A> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
> game for his team.
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> '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
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9 ~2 V/ {! X4 a> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 K1 @. f: n4 k6 u" f> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
( V) A& g3 Q/ Y# r7 `4 h3 T> 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
: v0 r& K4 I, J4 O7 d7 P( p> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
# `# l/ v# B# Y, ]# Z% e6 R3 z> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
! D' s8 L. F6 Q. ]; s3 R9 C> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
. j% ?6 }. Q' p, `0 ]% ~5 h> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
/ j! v! A; H$ p. z1 F6 ~> 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
( e5 V, s6 z2 Y( a7 S> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
. V# K! j3 }0 F# c1 [' n> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
! ?- t4 ~+ f7 @' _0 D& }1 L> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
* N6 P. e1 u* x! Z/ I) M  d: X> bit colder in the process?
>
7 e5 D$ R. |( ^7 ?+ U> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
5 u! T* a5 v7 b, D# p  O4 d2 W; J> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.