Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
: r5 z- E, F. F  p) Y1 e>
" u" s  G6 f' u+ O. j* ]> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 M# Q. f; T8 y% n* e> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
& C+ s0 w& X5 G# l: d4 r> 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
- n* Z* m2 I$ l: n& i> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
8 ^% J& d! v& [! n5 n4 F0 _; u> staff, he offered a question:
: }, D% i. C. J5 [" `: J* \>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 D* @. y* r% B> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 l5 B" g: o) L$ e4 ^/ k> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
" R, \7 d- |( F6 C! L0 D8 E> natural order of things in my son?'
6 M$ q/ G% w# `8 }>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
- A" F( y) X, F& p- F>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
3 K1 J1 Z9 t5 _2 U> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. R7 |$ `% g/ P( e; w> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
* R! n2 Z5 w2 I! d% n. W* w> treat that child.'
' K/ v" e$ C5 T- f8 W. B) l>
# X. ~+ e! ?9 z7 a> Then he told the following story:
>
5 v" E) D- ?0 g* Y& ^- q6 i8 U/ Y> 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,
. c: R. s1 n4 k5 S' T  e> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
/ |% i2 U. j3 i! q  o> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
3 m% N% o6 |3 y4 h>
4 A4 J2 o& T* o- ~! N/ \. q> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
+ D! S  n/ ^, T+ B! J' h3 p, E> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
4 n! S1 U' T& A: V7 Z0 }% D> inning.'
, d. @# {) j8 e! D/ V2 M>
5 B, [5 w5 \: K0 [' C* \! W> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
% b& r$ b; [. W8 m/ V5 _$ v> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) A6 Z- ]: W8 [0 m  ]% `% B> 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,
0 s/ v9 `4 S) \% @6 J6 t& F* q" p  c> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ }  S# k" ~% C> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
( Q4 F$ x0 s- S! _> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
( d, M5 _0 d" s/ B& D6 ]> 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
: {6 x3 Q9 i6 C8 G$ |4 @. g8 a. T( _+ I> right back to the pitcher.
>
; m6 m" z, X& z9 i3 i: |> 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.
>
, U1 V5 {7 R" Z, `' ?, @> 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
2 p1 v2 W7 f0 ^/ v, |& @, n> 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,
6 U" {% j3 ]. m3 A$ ]> wide-eyed and startled.
" J" v9 P2 S* z( E  l>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
4 r8 m: Z' o- Y. Y: r" X> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
5 C( i$ l6 `6 M. H4 a6 q: L2 [> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
  C, L$ l! p' _3 e>
- l- H+ _% O9 ~. Z5 h; u1 L> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
! ~) A6 k! F. w/ e/ Q2 Y7 I3 B) a>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
) W/ g% X$ {( l2 A0 F3 Q>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" r4 s4 }" v, |7 [> 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
/ t% D) k) z0 x5 Y> game for his team.
>
" ?' A. I" G0 ^> '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'.
9 Y6 j/ C" R/ ^1 t>
$ ^) X5 _) D  z! C) u9 n> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% S( i0 s9 v6 Y& o> 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!
4 F) z4 Y2 e2 E- ]& f5 V>
1 ]8 a2 c  f! |$ J2 w8 J1 u" G' D& k> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
) L; d# h7 O. Y5 C) B0 ?/ F0 W> 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
# v0 O1 P0 g6 W# |3 _: V7 m> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. u4 C3 X1 ~0 H6 a3 b+ m, z- v/ w> 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
> 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
$ j) Y+ h% {) O( u, @; |> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
3 V3 S% A) f% H7 e> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
) y9 u8 g$ v* N  X2 B6 F> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
8 T! S( @  e, ]) i4 G$ t$ p> bit colder in the process?
>
9 e% x+ I0 }3 D> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 g5 m4 e8 S; @1 Y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
2 V( ^& y  D0 @2 c) n' |> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
: I! q" z5 H. _" |+ X>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.