Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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+ L+ F9 A4 x; P* w> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 G1 U8 v! z$ E1 m) m: c7 l> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
; v% Y# s5 H/ d; _  O' e$ I! F> 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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* A& g' ^- X: x' [; n* A  A# t> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
+ H- r( j8 N& Z$ A  w( g> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
: q+ [: |1 {5 K  p> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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& S, u8 e# r8 [+ M> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* I3 l+ f) _0 D/ l> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
7 A4 z3 Y9 x, g2 T  X3 T3 B6 M> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
0 o# [! Q1 h/ _, \> treat that child.'
>
8 m) j0 E# A7 U0 V9 j> Then he told the following story:
>
% X. ^( `* K* M) V4 [& O- U> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: ]- C/ n5 J7 k! L, b  R> 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
, X5 K" _: F' _& E> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
2 C- Q# y4 T! E$ t' r5 P( z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
# C  x, I, e- F3 {4 R2 J4 }# b> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
* R& o+ v9 f+ x1 U% p$ C2 o$ P> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
! E' g9 a- r6 v  ?# ^) u( L4 |> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
7 E% P5 _$ ?$ j; U% q1 o; X> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
0 H) r- x2 N6 E$ F) S# ]> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
5 T2 N7 I' I7 i" [, l; X& v$ A> 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
! E" J3 l! T6 e: h; c, G> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 j* ^0 l4 {' y( X# k3 z> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
% e  F- U- ~% ^0 S# c3 ?1 ]! @8 q> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
: \/ m) O& K; D> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
0 h! s0 p! I: R+ T/ i& _$ e, E> 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.
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> 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.
6 _0 w/ }/ K+ @7 n) H/ N> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, P5 I3 u3 E# K7 ?) Q2 M1 z> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
/ \2 @$ O) j! n> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
$ Z& E- U+ R, j9 o0 R" \> 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
$ u. ]4 T. T/ j4 {9 L0 j3 S> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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 l: \  i4 D; [# e8 X. U> 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
4 K" Y* B8 a, X# n1 {> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( x% P6 T( d0 [3 y3 P" }> 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,
( d- P+ [0 o( {2 p> wide-eyed and startled.
>
" I: }, J8 D2 k> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, b, x. ?$ G! g3 m: j> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
+ j$ h; h, D; ^5 U3 j> 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
$ ]9 a! t3 `" o  ]1 o7 E$ D: u> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
' q. s7 P$ U, P; w7 C2 }6 C> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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.
>
: W) u7 j& O# W> '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
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> 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
# x9 y7 C' E! C9 Y" ?/ t% i( v> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
; L5 C0 k; C' v; D& t* ^> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
/ Z3 B$ X' y" s  U> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
- k. [2 J( O# s6 Y' ^, @( V, o! G3 Z> 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
( f6 k4 _- U& _1 o' x> '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
2 V5 e) b2 s& K  j3 H: M9 M' j- \> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
! P* s; N. X3 ~1 y" b> 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
3 j, Y1 n! g& {+ ^0 P5 A> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.