Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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, W/ n* `# \: V  P6 B& `8 v> 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,
) `. C- s" W/ M" u  a+ C0 k> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
- T8 |  [0 ~0 I: o0 j> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
1 `! _: Z! F& W1 ~$ B> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 E7 T* v, i; O: H> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
6 }3 D& ^3 v2 G- v$ y; E> The audience was stilled by the query.
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, u; i2 S+ G( g% g9 Z; I> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! m2 g8 E9 M" P3 Q( X* J. Y> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
# ~. K+ E% L8 s. X2 N1 ]> treat that child.'
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% d" x2 R8 b. ]: r6 y  X' @2 J> Then he told the following story:
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* f8 N0 j2 K; c: D# a, I> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
( S0 M9 \5 J$ s" T/ F> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
/ }: j, ^$ r( f% S> 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
# @5 x! x4 W8 `' Q2 q* e4 ]> 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
! ~, s; d& [8 p! d" C4 R* _> inning.'
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> 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
2 P- y8 Y4 R: v* S: I2 s* p; k9 l> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
4 n5 D0 A" |) R( ~& X; |' U# M* p7 @> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
! d6 i- q8 i0 U# x$ \2 d: K# S> 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
+ U) Y: u) t5 M) [8 Y+ C) L0 w> next at bat.
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* l0 m, ~0 O2 v: d* n4 @3 Z: B) ?> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ B0 R3 J' i" T" o& v* U) D9 b- m> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
- s; W+ @$ V  y> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
- |8 z  n$ ~& k) m( O! v+ u8 a  ^> 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
> 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
> 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
6 _9 I2 I: V- g% @) U8 \> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> 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
) v& U$ h% j% q6 f> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
; E, E6 ?7 j! B: A% E- b! f" `> 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
> 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
4 H. D2 l( A, q$ _  @% i# E! ~> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
9 N3 f& O+ U. ^, _( X3 \> 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.
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> 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
/ }. r; e1 |* b  Z) a( ~> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
% n  n* }/ w7 C* ~* L> Shay, run to third!'
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! c. L4 K; e- c> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
: P9 x; A- I9 E5 o6 @% x) m> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
3 G) O8 a3 l! A: Z7 j& W/ X> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
+ ~3 k# N; E$ M- o2 f$ C> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
' i. _  ]4 Q; ]> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> 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
8 q; ?4 `7 B4 v0 A: V> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
6 r" F; X# f4 S) z+ ?+ `> 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.
>
/ |2 u8 i$ F  s: |> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: e( }# }. U: c, |7 W2 O> 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
% a- s5 G+ y1 \5 W4 ]> 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
) S' R6 J; t* H9 y> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
) Y2 l. N; x0 b! I> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
  u* N9 o8 R7 k% c& n1 Z> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
% N" v1 f# M2 r/ t> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.