Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
" [9 W/ v, C# d! }1 T+ j- @: J> 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?
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# {4 X! b7 {; |> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
3 ]& q& _/ N, V5 I6 n, m+ |0 ^2 |( v> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
. Y0 u) M" b$ `7 Z2 x> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
) j9 e% y  @6 r: c> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- C2 f% E) |2 j> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
% {8 n. @1 `: v3 X; F> 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.
>
8 \- m& {* t2 `> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
$ r9 A' I- \7 b, V% O> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
$ V' N! G% }5 w8 u3 v8 V! D> 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
. k9 k& T  }* C  l. U- O> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
& p& l, q6 }+ a3 F> 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
3 |" P" h, q: u/ k' N$ ^% V( d% [> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
2 V6 R, [% p6 A* w! {> 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 P5 ^8 j- w3 @! w3 n9 M. r> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
" ^% j3 {  M' w( V9 Z> inning.'
>
/ P6 L3 g$ \- x% n1 u4 \3 d7 o. `2 R> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
2 T: W9 d. O0 W; D+ n5 a> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
" e0 g; b, Y) {  I% E9 O2 J> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
8 A! P. [2 r: f( s9 j6 W> 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
  N3 K, j4 |3 h1 H3 v* I  n> 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
+ y; o, Q6 Z% w! O" \. U1 ]5 N> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
( Y  Q& j- `2 z( y/ y/ Z: u> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
* p" R# Q$ f: y  h7 F( g& E> 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,
> 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
0 I' a$ U7 m- l: {- ]8 N3 `" @> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; b: V7 H2 Y4 a; Z4 K> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
8 a$ r& z7 v$ z; v> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
" y( R' c/ r+ A' f6 K  b: A> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
2 i0 }. e6 S! q* d" z> 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
* \" V& i/ @( B/ y2 L% N+ t> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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! l* u1 s# e' q> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; i6 E, M. n3 F6 [# z5 e# 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
, m% {% [4 Q1 s" z% e> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
: A3 _/ g+ {& M% t5 t4 c9 _> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
+ ~5 h* ^: R7 k; ]" `> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
$ Q  K) c% A! s/ Y, e% w> 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
: g9 T3 C9 I) A1 r6 m> 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.
>
$ _4 L! L+ q% w, n5 Q> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
" p8 E7 q# X: _; ~1 F> 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!
/ H8 ^0 G; N2 X( g" ]- G> Shay, run to third!'
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) {4 i- T7 Q- J# m> 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
! I9 c. a) U+ F# i6 y4 `1 S" q> game for his team.
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6 v& ~& V3 b5 N3 ~  A> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
) w. Y- d1 c1 e2 T8 Y" M> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
5 K3 ?/ i% }1 W/ k& H+ Z: `> into this world'.
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6 W/ ^: @8 {! v! p1 i, a$ @7 K  r> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% x$ ?# i: D0 b$ q> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
/ O; S1 p% @# w& O% U7 |> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
0 S% s5 l. Q  I7 I5 T> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
* }( |( d: h% j. i9 Y> 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
( L/ n7 q/ l  a4 ?5 u# z* C> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
+ v1 y1 C7 M' Z2 ~( k7 v> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
0 K0 y- N, }6 k+ @> 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
> 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?
>
. y# ^9 ]: l7 q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
! A4 x" E) o% h' h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.