Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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# t2 h! T: ^, Q( m7 k: d> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% }2 ^0 R- K/ w* k> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
7 [" C6 I! X3 B7 K! M> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
, n, G4 }  J& z$ n0 {# f* k> 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
6 I1 \3 L0 `; F6 Y2 j6 Y& ?0 Z> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# N- q6 {" Q) A) e( S> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
- m: f" W* {! W: o% w> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
# u7 H8 `4 W* O- e2 H) X7 q> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> 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
  f" |3 d0 B! r1 m7 x2 e# s' j* t> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
5 f( s3 Q, N! z+ l( Z- Y. _# ]> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
- g2 F& z9 Y% R* }/ M% h5 a> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
+ P# x4 W4 N  |> 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
/ @" A$ e  w' f3 a/ y> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
9 M& D& n: P8 q, z3 z0 I> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 L) Z' h8 C, }$ w9 ^/ W> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
5 s) s$ g  q+ I, S" T> 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
> inning.'
>
" U# L) _+ H' G% y. A( r> 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
) \  l/ ^, \9 A; B- {) |> 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
  I& r  g* c2 l5 h> 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
> 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
6 S& u$ e, c8 H8 {! z( g3 t> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
) e. q) W" i/ T/ H; n> 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
( n4 c7 d; E: C: v> 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
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
4 Y2 i/ C  E! `. u8 `> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
8 y: u9 h) |5 m( E. D> 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.
& K0 Y' }" L+ j/ D- f& j> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
. n) C- ?. T1 d2 x: n> right back to the pitcher.
>
& y. M* X. c  T$ E> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
$ Q5 U6 ?: A) I. b  E> 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.
>
& b1 F/ [! ]! ~> 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
6 K9 L9 q/ D7 _; O1 X* 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,
8 I: k/ Y0 S9 E. x: Z# T3 e> wide-eyed and startled.
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- y' S( ~7 e/ F+ Y$ d9 O- l5 |+ @> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
8 ~' ~1 i$ V' M7 M> 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
0 l" J' W9 n  Z> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
$ @) O: Y. W' a& g" ~> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
6 P& f$ x& j/ R1 `5 F6 _> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
) }8 \5 M# n, H( Z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
! ?: n: K1 i8 A$ ^) _> circled the bases toward home.
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: l( Z. ~& P" X0 T! o: r> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
+ p& a- j, C  |; K6 u4 e> 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!
) C/ j: }* L, D# }" l, R8 B> Shay, run to third!'
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8 R8 B' g& A1 N, o" G> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 y9 f% l9 e3 s3 {9 G0 z, l' S> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
8 s2 t, {/ B+ k: y" S; O% O> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
, l; n( M4 e; D1 R# t; H> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
4 ^* V2 f: |; @> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 Z2 o; |/ p- M: w9 b, E> 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!
>
8 T* Y2 {3 E4 |3 W5 o% @> 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
9 [8 B- B1 z7 }> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
+ D4 {' f( T# |% C> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
& _4 U4 c, q' G/ z/ d% B% J% o7 r> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
2 A/ H6 P1 C3 P( A4 Y$ a% I! X> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
8 q/ Q  O2 ]0 C/ [> 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
6 M- K9 d5 ^( Y* _4 a> bit colder in the process?
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> 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
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.