Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
1 p& Q- R- }- I0 v0 Z$ b: x> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
4 O8 M* j' P4 c, ^2 \2 v9 `> same choice?
>
. r; {2 v; {- o1 N9 b7 M) I> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 j: \' Z# S$ e/ l, ]* l3 O7 a> 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
6 k" N$ J) l. R9 o% t3 @> staff, he offered a question:
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> '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?'
7 U" U' r' h# A3 w% Q; c>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 u% x) Y7 f2 W> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
; j' H. g/ z  H0 c9 ]  r0 c> treat that child.'
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- d: }0 M5 |, E( g> Then he told the following story:
>
( p2 |5 n4 n/ D1 @0 r5 a+ T( {> 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
  g4 ^$ M5 ~1 o  H! u# c; p> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
% ~8 K0 S7 E) j: W3 l; J> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
: v, s- t( C) y4 c  ]; \; f/ @> 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
; u% U9 x* _5 ^( r8 }  K6 H> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
# v9 o5 N3 u& I5 H" W: E9 R> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
- [& {, |) G1 n- y3 D) R- w5 _> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 O7 D5 w( A" D+ A> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
7 ~9 f" T4 x4 `> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 w4 M9 L) `- I' I9 P6 U0 y> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
& F* r9 Y; k9 J; o0 c> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
9 {* G! c- _  a4 N0 i> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
+ F' A+ D' z+ ^* a- J> next at bat.
>
% R$ h& E0 S& p: n7 U8 S> 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
! Z: y7 }( h6 e6 ]/ _> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
% l5 d" Z: h* C# l, e- q# W- T( v> much less connect with the ball.
* {! `* Y0 B8 [1 c" L5 T> 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
3 M% o: H6 |: d( H+ B> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
1 V7 W0 r6 Y4 k5 g> 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
& \/ ~! K" {7 b" o* X$ V> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
) w3 b& d. ~2 m" a. d* R4 X> 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
* p, P- |+ m( u& A' N> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
4 ^  c9 p7 r& t6 R> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; Y8 @3 n5 ^* M5 o" H3 K1 j6 |> 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
* i, q; P% T# k! w9 k1 V* G4 G> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
+ D) |. A: b* ^4 ?" j5 ^> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
. G, l* M+ r0 `0 U: P1 I> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
3 c& W8 K- B! H5 o- H. q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
* h2 J2 ]* Y; k5 U' h> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
7 d( F1 C7 y+ K4 w9 o1 D> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
> game for his team.
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9 J, c& o: `1 ~% T: F> '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'.
>
& S/ G# c" H# v2 a> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% I# D, y! T: i) J( [' ?> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
% s! l. X3 w  A/ _* N% e> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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+ I+ w* K! P  J4 }7 Q! G9 h> 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
! U9 }" V- K- _$ Q> 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.
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! b( }  \5 ^! W: j) M. S7 }9 \( d9 I> 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
7 ]0 e& W3 a3 }: ~( M5 ]- j* P> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
7 n9 q2 e; O2 _. b' R; G> 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?
/ ]5 s8 c/ ?4 h) n) B>
3 x6 ^% `# j. w9 k> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
) P* i5 }9 E7 q5 B( }' Q> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.