Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
' |$ M! O3 W5 Q, F2 Y> 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
1 p  j1 {' [. ~( v3 c> same choice?
>
7 z$ Y2 w9 a- V> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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: s2 G( l# g; h; Y6 L> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
  m  c/ l5 t& P# s- F4 |! W> 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
- d8 f3 p1 A" t8 }$ q' Q! l> natural order of things in my son?'
>
7 I" e2 O0 j9 \1 O8 f& {> The audience was stilled by the query.
( H" o- j! x* N2 H( m5 h>
+ u$ D2 B# d' O) S. ~> 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
* R& T& C" X: Q2 U! H6 l3 ~. \% p+ W> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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+ Y) x( k4 S5 |% Q+ M/ ]. o> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
9 e  r, O/ R0 \( [, y' e2 ]4 R> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
" p9 V. S% M+ i$ v) q> 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
7 M- f/ @; Y0 X# D+ s, D' y> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
/ u2 w4 l0 R; ]# W- Q+ u8 H) J> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ e0 Q# u) f+ z6 u: A/ n% _+ J> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
1 K$ ?" o  r, t/ l> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
; ]0 S5 R. Y$ \: g  r/ w4 @> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
( B, h- C" u6 Q+ D. d3 n+ B> inning.'
9 w  x% o4 B' ^6 I* e- T- e3 w7 W5 }>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! }$ C1 P9 V( w$ z* p6 ?2 f> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
+ T, t! R' ?3 B: R" O> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
0 E0 i0 t3 i7 r5 n> 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
> 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
  X$ r1 c! C% \' ^6 b1 P> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
' x! G7 x1 R: A% C> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
5 k4 J9 s0 k/ \0 c> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
# |3 j1 V( E: F- }. k/ }5 ?> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
0 r4 r  q, v5 ~> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
1 f9 E8 @( I2 [8 X, D( d' i> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
6 c0 \0 ^: E) V> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
# `: J2 C: l& N2 I  }> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
) R! ~" C8 q3 d: U# l/ \: {& k, I3 {& O> 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.
5 @6 T, g9 D7 t2 Y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
. r3 Q- }& E0 b: J+ c> 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
0 i% M! M0 U% N/ V3 x> out and that would have been the end of the game.
$ \. ?( [7 Q1 u, ^4 F. o>
> 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,
* Y( H9 F$ f$ U+ D  ]4 f> wide-eyed and startled.
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9 \8 _% g9 F/ F- `# r' y> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
$ `2 p% y" \/ `0 P" ^. R; ~> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; P5 G# `% q/ k, V$ B' j4 u> 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,
/ h( |  @2 G% O; K" D> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
6 v- o) z& I8 D4 f" `> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
  z& n' l* F4 k1 [/ `3 L! ]> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ `3 y2 \+ ~( a5 [, f9 |( R. V> 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
7 T& O7 r1 A- _4 J8 E. M> game for his team.
2 y7 q0 @% C0 r2 v8 w>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ v- b) @1 c5 t> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
9 p( t: D3 J/ h/ ^/ s* `4 I: p> into this world'.
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0 S& a3 T5 p3 n3 h- Z! f> 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
> 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
& ?/ l& l3 m" x6 {# a) i/ _5 A9 {> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
+ j0 c5 c( S2 i8 b2 E> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
2 k- ?0 g# G7 v9 O! A> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
- e  J; K2 l- w( M4 P+ `> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
: }. ~8 W' k' e! C% J$ c! s4 f> 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
$ V6 W+ a7 `5 q  F; N8 v8 M. V> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
; O6 W5 h) C/ y( z# Y' j' H> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
4 b9 i8 q+ h+ K+ U4 X% U5 C6 }> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' D( L1 b2 d* W- c/ a> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
/ n* d. v) [7 \: E> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 f5 C6 p8 ]/ e% k- O) y! `4 c> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.