Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 o6 |& d- w; S+ D, M/ U4 Z> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
& H: ^  ]2 X, i/ }0 i6 l4 w7 c>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
2 I6 Z# ]2 h8 G* `9 @  m# o" \! v> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
+ o* P, A0 v9 V* R> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
) P6 q  k% t: K3 M: c$ J>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' v) C$ f" S+ T% e% k$ G> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
4 N$ ~# `4 G8 D6 \> natural order of things in my son?'
>
) _+ j  K& T5 O" k$ k> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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
. O6 M2 N8 U1 ], `> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
7 y0 I% F- a% o0 ]3 |7 \$ Z> 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
# ^  |. N) L9 x$ i> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
0 I" h1 p& O8 d  w+ H2 I& c> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
4 U2 [1 |0 l+ J3 [9 W& O0 L. ]/ p> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
) w9 g6 Y- [/ Z. W! `% S>
+ z8 d9 c& ?- `  a& [9 Y> 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
: A# _: i" m; x> 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
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
3 c5 U/ d& U5 L' x" V- F> 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
* R. R6 c( U+ ^# V: ?> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
4 ]* d) d9 [# p5 y, X" h& ?> 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
4 [6 x2 f. U' h$ Q5 V( t4 F  l7 T& a> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
1 b# Y* h( y1 |; Y/ K5 n2 x1 v> 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.
>
$ L  E. U( f' 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
% ?& G& r5 A- @9 n> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
, Q+ d9 C  i, A> much less connect with the ball.
" e) t) U; ]! H2 C0 Y  H> 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
> 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.
- g1 g; B4 Y" `6 [> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
  G, m2 y& Q! J9 ~. x> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ ]$ {' q  j3 l% ]4 t> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
4 |- B& `( W& ?8 k5 G& w8 Z> 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
: ^: M: C7 V$ F* ~> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
# g4 Q* \4 H7 u" Y# g% b+ o>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
  s. y/ n- i" z+ D/ e> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
* m1 y& ?. `' v' a" }+ Q. \8 Y! x> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
$ M$ R  s% G* n& C7 r> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ Y$ ~- N9 w; N7 e6 z. Z> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
) U7 k% v# P+ _( d% 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
$ A  K9 q* o8 }> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
, I9 P) J- g1 y8 \  L" d8 w( d- P> circled the bases toward home.
" k$ D* ]4 L/ k: d>
- \* \$ u  R$ l, a: X) \> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
, ?1 x) d& K. W" f: _> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
4 t! \3 o& E5 K2 O2 d% B>
> 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
5 g# f/ A' f- H( M! y> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
# }) S1 l. ~& e> game for his team.
+ ?; U" k6 y, L* g% p/ z0 E1 S% P>
> '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
> into this world'.
>
! D9 ~$ {4 s( F7 f3 a" I> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 e6 m2 {* w, i) x> 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!
8 J% x, `3 r& A$ V>
6 N) T, I, {& v> 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
" v, L9 M1 }- h> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
; L4 G. @, q3 P: H4 J& O5 A1 X> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
9 m9 k  n: E0 g>
; B5 I2 ?/ m& j4 e> 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
4 o- T& X: q1 Q> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
3 M, h$ Y  L$ T: k6 Q7 K  D> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
" n7 ^/ x. [+ N> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
8 l: l8 L9 S' n) Q" o: m> 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
2 H8 [  |! H* p% I* E/ ]) {> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
, L( H1 ~, t) l. I9 L+ V  l) I> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
$ C; E1 ?$ `+ C9 Q8 Y, u> You now have two choices:
6 O9 A' N! t8 W, K> 1. Delete
- S% u1 ]# o: D& o6 I> 2. Forward
9 X0 Q, k9 _2 }1 E>
, q0 O" z8 `& e5 D) j: v$ P" j" o> May your day, be a Shay Day.