Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
& b( x  C; T0 i' G( C. `. w- y> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ [. s/ T" O$ d! y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  @" M4 u. i* ]! M$ B- D, W0 }4 v> 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
- ^  p% m2 c+ T  P% i> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
4 U8 @* {4 ^  a+ V! d( m# g9 ~> staff, he offered a question:
>
! l0 O1 r4 `. v3 I* _> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 r. I. B/ ^7 U2 `4 e% k8 r6 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
% o) |/ W- B, m+ E8 u> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> 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
! s0 X& |' c) ]: E> treat that child.'
>
6 Y& B8 U: B7 k> Then he told the following story:
>
) @+ Y% d: p1 U5 T0 [4 {) D) j& G# H> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
& d  R( A3 t; `# {- n! H> 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
# A$ \! q" d. Y0 N/ z; p0 n> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
. G3 p! N( C: ^+ }) N" ?> 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
& H1 `9 [3 Z/ d8 K% V1 P* L+ f% d> 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.'
>
2 m( y4 E- J& [> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
* o8 e, j- a- e0 m, P; V> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
! g9 D$ C+ v8 k& I> 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
> 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.
* C% X4 a, A2 y4 k& x- D>
8 h4 w7 R* P8 R( a6 f> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
- w6 u9 t4 ~, O, Y5 t> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
# K9 H9 Q+ G7 E  ?( k1 p7 p* u> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
0 o! J8 D2 Z" b( z; v3 y( m9 ^6 z> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 K2 k' l  o& `3 N/ c+ g> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
2 m' K( a6 w. K( E  {9 c: x> 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.
( t. ?$ J' y0 U; c> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
8 R: P+ s  W6 ~! ]' R* q( C' h' H>
> 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.
6 t$ |- S0 D4 x3 _6 [: a>
6 h% }1 v0 A. D4 u% r> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
. d6 S1 i) a% N# F% v2 y" O' D6 `>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 V/ H: p/ O/ y( c# \4 |> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
7 r7 F. Z4 X. \1 T* w8 x> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
' u9 @! a& Q5 Y! m> 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,
  g0 j* k* x& ^% R# f, |> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
- n' w. [3 b$ }" Q& f! C> 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'
>
, [. O2 C/ p8 X5 N+ L> 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!
" \! E5 S( k3 A> Shay, run to third!'
! h" X+ P/ l3 @2 }- b& y, h# r>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
' a+ H. A8 h! N& |* Y6 G7 Y> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
: c5 w" L" W+ |$ M- C' e> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
% L0 l0 k5 Y( k, M( v% v) a( `7 {> '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'.
. k; M5 I: U/ f$ i4 I5 h/ e>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
/ `7 m2 x- G0 d7 _8 D: K0 \* ?> 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!
- f* P) w  a0 M) ?( Z6 r>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
2 B+ D: P% L1 W& x5 V> 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.
: q! u( g8 h7 l: ]: N+ n, Y>
( x' J# ?' B- W0 i4 J> 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
; [& b* N- ]) W5 {# N1 q3 n> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
* \9 G* R* D! K& [2 o8 D! K> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
5 v4 U8 j* z" ?: C8 a. F> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
+ P* S% ^' e7 m/ u6 J9 e> 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
5 E4 o% C+ d/ X! N> bit colder in the process?
>
: X! ~5 w) Q  S+ @, f; V> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* p7 ^/ U2 `/ w# G7 I/ d> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
4 y  M1 M1 K! ?; ?" c> 1. Delete
/ n9 b, ]  a! y( f  W) N! W> 2. Forward
>
9 T' y4 k5 n# ?6 z; d6 y. R> May your day, be a Shay Day.