Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, h0 {, j! E9 X4 ~  f0 ?! }$ U1 v> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
# H5 ]4 x3 D& v) B" f3 |) m( x$ r> same choice?
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. H! s6 F- Q, v5 `' G& j% P5 y* t> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 n7 ~6 r- q( \1 Z> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
* E" f: L: K/ J6 T8 y) N5 m& Y1 f  ^- G9 V> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 w8 \* _' R+ Y6 q> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
. _, x9 Z. d+ y- \5 y) \, X> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
9 c) [- |: o4 t4 S>
! l1 h) N% y8 Q6 i; {> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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
! F4 u9 @" h7 M6 h; m: C> treat that child.'
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5 }8 s% C9 k& W" ~' V  F' I* b> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
. }2 f4 y, O( j; P. ]> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
- N; j% s' v" g+ N/ Z2 j> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
* S( I% k" w4 J) w) T3 J: d> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
- ?8 ]: Z! g& D> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
2 _6 D2 R: p( S6 r% i, g> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
; R# p3 {9 Y' t1 M) W+ |> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
1 C) j9 y. A! ~2 L9 C! t* I> 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
2 U' O- ]8 s0 z. ~3 p- e> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
4 n) O3 i: C5 i1 {: p> 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
4 x( p- g& `8 l# J/ y1 y4 |" z# F> 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
) L. T3 z' Y: H0 C* U) O/ f2 q> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
2 o9 Q$ Q' P1 k4 c$ T1 y9 G> 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
' F7 {" _/ X* x3 G> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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5 X# t  v5 Q  \4 D) `1 N3 p  n> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
% |) n* t6 o/ K> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
6 N- n2 s/ _7 f& U4 R  p+ O> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
' Y' {5 o* T9 u- |) U> 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
) p; f" ]3 ~/ u$ X8 t) V> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
( M/ z. y; L! z. J* A. o7 ?- ~0 ~> 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.
# q5 ]0 t7 R# x1 Y- Q6 c> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
5 K; b  Q7 R1 K> right back to the pitcher.
>
) v* w9 h& z! i1 D> 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
( i* P7 H' L% U, {$ @7 B2 Y3 @> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
3 U8 G, B; d1 Y5 v" x> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
6 i; S3 u; K9 q. ^; r$ h> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
+ x( c9 _  c4 T> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
: F: r! p: k9 P) e& b+ T: \> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
6 N% o  Y. X/ [> wide-eyed and startled.
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$ H5 x. ^1 I) }) n> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
% @/ G$ k3 z  I0 w  }+ ~> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
: d, _7 \8 r' t8 R8 t% M> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
- ?9 Q% a' I) H% q> 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
/ \3 v1 Y1 C9 b& S: ]- j2 s8 V> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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4 T! }: N( h0 P4 m- R> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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% S2 V1 T3 Q( W( R. y, R> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: ^1 g" q2 t! A# ]8 \& K> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
+ B5 a8 v- s: X/ p: c1 J>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
- I! ^. H3 O0 D" K/ U; t: ]3 z# e> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
, i0 j, U2 p! B4 |$ [7 f> 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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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
- A! m) g& k2 ?, p0 u9 ~> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
7 ~( C/ X+ l# {4 m1 a3 c8 }> into this world'.
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' U) x9 @4 m0 S3 a& e> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
# l  r! m/ m5 H> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
* X* v8 l0 P3 ?> 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
$ o; W( N; a: C> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 _" f8 z+ Q7 j; T) ~+ c> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
/ E1 N9 q2 N5 Z# F$ ]8 U6 o( s* O> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
6 s7 L7 _  J# l0 m' m2 f> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
0 P; Q& G7 p- o( n> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
0 ?4 H3 P9 Y1 w3 x> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
7 j* S# Y; C' e9 G& x> You now have two choices:
9 h2 L) ?2 T* h! h' \> 1. Delete
4 s# A8 Y: q2 }  n0 X5 V/ {3 t> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.