Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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$ h/ L/ i) ]/ W: S( l$ U7 x1 G> 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
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ R& A& C) ]3 f: i! l' P; D> 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
/ m3 g- m# V$ O- Y) j8 d# m% a> staff, he offered a question:
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4 l& J+ v, q5 x: l* n4 O> '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?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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
> treat that child.'
>
9 N4 Z7 i: Y! z* F( P0 D> Then he told the following story:
>
9 h4 h1 h3 e4 q' b( V% |% ]" ^  R- O6 a) M> 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
# U7 x+ Q3 F; t* n, ]  s: y& [> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
+ ?) b+ E- C5 Q> 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
4 I% E9 {: b* ]. s8 q5 l> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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! _0 J0 l/ e# v. S4 Q9 o! h> 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
: m( p, i0 C+ v+ V* z> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
( z2 F5 V5 V* r' O; ?> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
- R1 ]% Z3 e1 {> inning.'
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' C, C2 q4 U, M> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# T1 W2 H7 p% k4 B* _' W4 V> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
: T' k9 i& C8 |& z1 n> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
+ `  A1 `0 }0 E, |6 T> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
, c0 k3 [# ]; S: b> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
: t  j2 n1 Q/ L" ^7 w* A> 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
0 T/ b: H0 v+ b9 Z2 w& E8 x> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
8 R+ |! d& X5 X" ]( U> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
3 b6 [" ]  p  X& O; y) j; x2 u> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
$ d3 N! r3 k+ d; M> next at bat.
>
> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
0 u% d! ^2 ?. V- \/ B" X> 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
: H- n! C4 ~5 o> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
6 y) Y- E1 V& h- }! G' s> 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.
: A4 h; D1 _) y) t2 c> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' h( T! S; i6 Z- h" I1 Z, Z' [> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
5 E( h4 ?( P7 S7 R" }> 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.
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2 S. W$ I: `" 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
" Q) i( s' `( z% J! Q3 h> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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# Z3 C' K2 Q6 u- I8 N- h; ^5 f> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
( _0 X+ A+ h# E7 f, a> 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
1 h& ~- @8 w1 h2 |! |$ v1 i6 T> 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,
> 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
& ^2 ~( ?. P8 a4 |> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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8 ^3 X. t& j; ]2 Y4 g8 \5 Z% K/ l> 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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! \, o- p2 ?+ N$ `0 L> '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'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ X3 ]- {' |/ N8 H  Y; ^> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
8 d$ t8 j& n5 c$ [> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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) z  ]6 A2 u  e3 ?- K& n7 \3 Y> 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
$ A# e1 B/ b7 [$ @) i/ @$ F5 ]> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
% B4 Q" `: `5 w' r( U2 [> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
, ]5 z# P4 Z* a$ w3 p) |> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
3 b+ g  v2 U) J4 R4 A> 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
2 A* |; l4 c4 n; H% y. I% b> '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
4 U/ h' J; N: Q  E8 k. e  b; X> 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?
>
5 W# B/ Z( G2 ]9 r$ L- F* X0 G> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
7 F: H; }6 c) q4 K. m5 d> 2. Forward
>
1 q: q0 x8 z, P+ J# c> May your day, be a Shay Day.