Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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: q: Q/ ]6 b1 o$ s  y: H> 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
0 u7 m) u1 c2 V. F+ v> same choice?
>
- x6 c! L% X5 I> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
1 p, b. z' p$ @; {4 y- [> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
- A7 C$ Y, `+ D: R6 s7 r( @* e9 H! k> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 R' ~2 D; I4 N> 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?'
& L4 W* c: s: q>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
' d/ c5 d; |8 B0 [5 A( }) J> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
' o  o- f0 j  D' B> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
: W0 u# O# _! \; K8 w: ~  ^> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
2 P- i/ d1 I. e; J> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
) A" T& `/ `2 I> 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
% T: F9 E9 e9 v- Y  w9 F4 Q> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
5 |! h, a4 q0 E* U9 h2 A# |- F> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
% d4 c# i; u/ z6 F0 [4 k>
> 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
( ^: ^* a8 }4 F/ ]1 p> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
6 J9 j5 j3 }' W, \4 x( p; |> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
; d* o$ }& S  F/ p1 K5 `> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
$ P. L4 ?( ^( ]& u3 R% C2 p* L2 k8 Z> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
- Z& P' p4 j8 }) }> 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
# l( S8 T: x7 T> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
- W6 Y# g3 C% ^# U6 l: B> next at bat.
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$ {( k" U8 p7 u3 c  {) E> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
, K) N( Y$ U9 S5 w; `& P( o> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
% N; l, w5 c1 c9 j' |> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
% M& h2 F" c4 i9 F0 t" v> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
* q8 b! y, }4 h- j" g# m, i9 V$ D> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
" ~5 w1 }6 N5 Q$ |9 g> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
# ^# _$ [) E' R> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
- H* G+ @) J+ M  \* \4 x* a> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
! e  q2 p6 v4 F> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
+ f/ v1 @- t8 F> right back to the pitcher.
>
0 k3 `% R/ f3 y# k( d7 Z> 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
: c! m: o' j0 Z3 [3 z( N, s. O> 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
> 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
- c+ z2 U# m4 I* u8 n> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
- y9 f1 V& `1 I! X( @" s+ ^> wide-eyed and startled.
>
0 m  p. T* u" \7 \% Z$ N> 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
5 \# N( o- g$ q> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
6 I& M! {, c8 O> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
4 b/ U% n6 V9 M; C: z! m  ?> 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'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
9 u" c- }6 ]8 H9 U0 k> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
) d4 z8 a5 Y5 r' Q3 z8 v$ d> Shay, run to third!'
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! O- z2 P, l5 K> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
/ p2 @" P3 T; t# T1 D) j> 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
3 v! e8 F( [7 Y; s8 [  H0 F> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 {3 M; r, D* Q5 o> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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& n, [' [/ D+ ^- y  Z7 v* w> 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
- `. Z" c8 q2 u/ a1 Y6 ?, ?! O" r> 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
$ }( j2 q' _$ h/ l+ j> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
- K' D0 \: U" `  a# [) O: V> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
9 ]3 E: w& V6 ~+ Q" t& _, u> 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
9 b' t3 t2 m, Z+ N4 j> 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
3 R) S4 l" h. K> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
6 V% V' j7 F: [# ^> 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?
>
0 V$ w0 H* a4 I. W/ v6 I> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 R2 S3 o' E/ H8 _) C" }> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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+ B5 w! ~0 b3 R! W+ C1 U( v> You now have two choices:
& U9 e* p) d$ ~3 K9 F1 d2 R> 1. Delete
7 z/ }( g- M$ b' M* ], g* d, Y. Z  X) I: V> 2. Forward
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9 U$ _0 Q; [1 }7 J. N9 u6 Q> May your day, be a Shay Day.