Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
1 D" u- i# L  H5 u# J2 x( `> 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
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
& o. D- m2 a4 w. |( x. z! u> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
5 i! b9 y7 y+ A" k. S& W> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
; w) Q: ]) b0 A  o> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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$ e6 @1 L6 O) s! q) e> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
( f, F' U5 v0 b/ j" `6 }> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
" Z! m8 [0 f8 h. T8 T> 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 f6 ~+ S! n8 R: b5 z" r> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
8 f: D$ }% F* o9 {/ Y$ s2 i. N* l> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
; P, |9 X- E9 ]" S> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
' K4 I9 S! ^' V; A% B5 o: H" Z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
3 G+ ~* v4 d" S3 A> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
1 H3 F' H0 h2 y> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
* [4 g1 ~* Y7 ~/ v$ n) F# s3 G> 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
! J6 Q* A2 L. A> 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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3 b3 q  w: G% H. I" `4 \> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) t0 [/ {4 y; A/ W2 p> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
1 m& Z2 O9 D4 Y> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
" M" a1 U) {& J) d7 |5 S, Q> 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
> 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
% [' X3 I- b& K( }( u3 O2 l" v> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
- g$ o9 g7 \' }* t/ A7 b> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
! V& ]+ \% U6 j1 Y0 T7 S3 t> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ v5 r9 ?% R( V5 [# ?& U" y$ ?> 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,
' ]& p# j$ R+ G' L> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
6 T' @$ A4 Z$ q+ s: b* c, E> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
0 X, C4 I% [4 ]. W' r> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
7 o! o( g- h+ T6 D) t7 N) l> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
' F* R: Y$ [8 Q1 E- O# m' X> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
! T  E; `5 U7 r/ a3 a> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
9 f( g# _# X9 C1 ^> right back to the pitcher.
( a, G2 D) S$ v& }) m) V: I4 [>
> 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
$ O! }/ `% @5 \# U- u4 T9 X6 D> 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
, `: e; z% `4 ?> 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
" y3 _( n8 R5 q1 J> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
- w; P" f& d# g. ?7 g> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, Q/ |- n7 {! Q% j. ?1 t, H> 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
2 c# z* p. T" T5 Q> 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,
6 n& c/ S$ p7 o" k+ u) b/ g> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
# ~" B6 u0 W! ~8 ^* W> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
4 k+ j3 Q5 I* v3 n# D, Y& u2 _" Y> circled the bases toward home.
>
# [6 H% e9 s* z+ b, R# l" f> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
' [- x0 h6 h. S$ d  ~> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 e3 F+ p; |7 F7 F0 d  g> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
3 L  x) H0 h4 I  f- k4 C) U* O6 u1 ]> 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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2 X% T" L" r' R- I> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
. _0 R/ F1 p7 }# m" ^( P" Y> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
) ^/ D+ f% M; u5 U9 k2 Y! l> into this world'.
>
& b, @5 ~# L. \9 v> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' Z7 j5 D8 a  y> 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
2 ?2 @" o9 ?; S8 @8 @> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
) O% d1 Q* ^8 J  t0 r7 M& J6 @> 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.
>
> 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
8 L4 e- |8 Y1 p5 U  z) I> 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
, B1 b9 ?. u& G' v( a* D  k> bit colder in the process?
/ [; ]& Z/ w/ q1 {>
: Y8 x: `+ w, I2 C( s> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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5 F3 S7 f7 [; n( ]; J- k! w. i> You now have two choices:
4 D+ t/ O4 S* p& U% V7 {! k" c> 1. Delete
; u! u! F- |. k" n6 C' a> 2. Forward
>
3 Z( ?# E! l# }* o" L0 s> May your day, be a Shay Day.