Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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" K) G5 \5 o2 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
% W& S6 ?! u6 M: U$ ^% [> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
7 [$ X- Z9 Y8 H> staff, he offered a question:
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* B6 n7 _% M  |% f> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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& T9 w+ o% }. p6 I> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
) {5 c; S3 p- I! J> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
" |( ]0 S, v- n& C7 g> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
/ z( O! N2 i7 O! {> treat that child.'
>
$ }- W( n$ g" R2 x- Y% P3 B8 n2 Z> Then he told the following story:
>
7 T# _: [9 T2 P$ M4 z> 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,
' Q$ Y2 y2 Q" p, }9 h6 P> 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
1 c. W$ N6 h( {# Y+ D+ K> 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
# U( J$ J0 J# w5 T* y) M; Y> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
3 x6 |! i; T5 |> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
" y; o8 g! z( O7 h5 w2 O, m9 G2 j( H1 ?> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
% a  @) Y/ p- L2 _/ J> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
  p1 I0 u0 n% v/ n! ?) u5 U6 v> 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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> 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.
+ n+ u) C7 i$ [* S" L' }- f> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
% u; Q4 @, T2 C  y0 V8 A> 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
> 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.
% N) E8 R( v$ v0 o> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
7 C+ @" @* Y& }+ z> right back to the pitcher.
>
0 V' j' w5 m$ {% s! n  }9 R" ~> 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.
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8 U9 x. c, X% d! {> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
1 g3 V2 I4 }9 X( T( r* _1 \0 N> 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,
" ?  A/ C- f5 P* A, X' B) O1 ]> wide-eyed and startled.
>
2 G" }0 m+ _* c/ O1 g% t) ]> 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
4 N; b0 q0 k4 T+ K! X+ f" N. R> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
5 Y* z/ L& ^/ m! j3 W* j> 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,
8 m# W! g/ _5 R: l> 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
; j0 |, I- _0 }, b3 E> circled the bases toward home.
>
3 p) g/ _. p# [9 `$ ]1 ?> 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
2 q8 L/ \# d) E) `+ [> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
- M- _3 X6 ?& ~+ [> 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
) _' B, m$ k8 [; A> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
( j$ h1 r/ |; s> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
$ z8 h, n; [7 S7 ^: Y5 k> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
* o7 v% o/ l$ o1 q( r> 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!
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$ N) q+ i9 [5 a! k* B> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
% L( F2 o& N, ?; t> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
; V) d! f* [. N% V. `> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 Z% R$ g% u8 P* S> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
# V# |  d* ~1 G0 U> '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
& A, g: \4 X. y- g  N2 U% y> 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?
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* R6 l! R' Y: q, Z2 j5 y  h> A wise man once said every society is judged by
: l1 U% b) v$ r6 |, D$ i> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
3 K0 ?+ D  J/ X7 S/ n& ]3 }> 1. Delete
% y, n* ]6 r/ h, J> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.