Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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- L% ~3 c/ ]/ J# b> 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,
' Y+ O1 R; f4 j1 D* H  p' V> 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:
: Q9 p9 s" h8 Y! Y# q6 h>
4 U! n. P2 f: [! O; \> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
. i- m  r7 h* j/ L3 t) Y> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
8 P. N  p, d+ Z5 u  U* G> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
) I- A: s6 }. ~> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
& E! |$ `, h& Y6 a( I- J> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
8 ]# T1 m! ~$ ^3 \  _' r> 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,
( X- ~7 z4 w+ x' J& N> 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
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 g, S1 q2 R, F1 ?> 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.'
>
  Z% U# O" n; @5 k0 e- Z  i2 p7 q> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. @+ a5 s1 X; d/ w+ G* y! C> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
- V) d$ k* [% d* X' t, s/ V2 D> 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
! _* G/ @6 N& }1 p6 U& U4 F> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
$ I+ g& @8 I; c  a9 @5 ]> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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" _7 F. i1 t' g6 ^> 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,
  y1 Y- I+ p" Q% g0 L4 T9 b' v> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> 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
% u4 X7 A8 W  C- B" k- w* z4 r> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
1 q2 |9 _6 \0 c> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
4 p4 C3 ?$ N0 t9 i* A4 ~- R" [> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
4 I& B8 t3 d+ q7 e+ W; d> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
> 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
+ t1 y% d' B: t# J0 Q) h: U* u> 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
0 C% a6 X5 k( |+ k7 z' @) D  P> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
8 [6 e$ @8 ^1 A> wide-eyed and startled.
>
& b0 \2 |5 D" V# e4 x> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
: g  g5 h: N/ i& B0 `0 G> 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
; Z1 s) P" r5 ^  u' ~: m, _) o" I> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
3 d0 K+ W9 ]8 \> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
$ Z. l& \7 Y$ k7 z) y> 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!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; X. t, ?1 H- H4 Y: y% [/ r$ h  j- N> 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
* o' l' ]7 O& P> game for his team.
>
> '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
/ j6 I5 h/ K  K8 h2 h> into this world'.
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> 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
8 ^2 Z* L  T$ \% k( y* M> 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
/ l- a5 r5 a- c4 Y4 R, Y/ Y# l> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
- a- K# V5 P- h9 p> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, F0 h; @: s# \> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
+ N, f: ^  c, V* y2 }9 ~8 ^* g- F" r> '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
% ?/ }) b# I2 I! C8 _. q> 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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' G1 w1 t3 G0 @# N4 s2 c> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; K+ j# S" p; o' j* Z. E> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
, R& |5 ]. v, V1 r  B8 f. J: ~7 w> 1. Delete
, R. h6 T7 T4 E" h8 s; m> 2. Forward
>
- k' D) ]; J7 z% O, _4 o( K> May your day, be a Shay Day.