Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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+ Z. W+ H% T8 h: g4 k9 a, Q: J> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! @8 R! o# y* i  ?+ G3 C8 G> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
2 }- v1 Y$ e! I# Y$ h> same choice?
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> 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
' y: ]. e8 {" Q8 P: H# M. L> staff, he offered a question:
>
0 e4 m( @& P; m& L3 c  m> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
1 n! t$ ]2 W) Y. |' p% k9 V4 a, \8 v> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
( a- Q% D4 q) ^9 u" n  y; Z; ?> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
* w# q+ @8 k% L5 e> natural order of things in my son?'
>
  w* x' b; T, w+ Z1 e; a4 y> The audience was stilled by the query.
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- }9 c0 ?. T9 }* M. u2 z! c> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 r3 i; k$ I  G> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
; n* N( K( q* U: h> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
* L+ o4 H8 P- b# D! Y- \> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
: T1 l: T0 m- P  Z' o: A> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
) F) l1 L3 v4 O4 Q+ |1 D+ G> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
+ v) k: g2 e3 l. m4 }1 I7 P+ M' Z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
& F6 F/ N4 q# D- `: B5 {- N> 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
) T2 U* }! M/ x8 ]* @* ?. p> 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.'
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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
7 @. c: P8 }( a- [" _& v3 _+ K> 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
6 x+ ]" G& t0 }: W+ k9 L  a+ w0 @> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
2 E6 o) |- M2 I3 O> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
: ]' X  _7 e2 [) t9 `( h> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 f+ M; h# j1 |$ @8 B/ j( P7 ~> 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
% \# V+ K' |- z# ]5 R> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
' s- ]8 j1 i# \8 H0 b> 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,
; i+ I8 r* c3 `> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
! |" |$ R* w5 R. m> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
9 e# i4 j: x2 r> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
' \+ S' F0 ~5 g' W4 k> 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.
( r0 V8 j6 Y( A> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
- d7 R$ @4 P, a" t2 l9 A> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
" t) p7 S" P6 A% Y> 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
6 W2 G  Q' l7 _8 i2 a; a$ w- U> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
" w: Y  N$ @9 P* r% i. g> 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,
* Y2 G- h$ u6 M& Q+ C> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
4 q/ R. c" p( i> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
  l+ R$ t! a9 f9 |3 W/ t" ]> 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
( H- d6 u' `2 G$ K" J> 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
, ~8 y- e" m2 O4 \8 y> 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!
1 o$ n5 t3 e: u: f> Shay, run to third!'
>
$ Y4 }8 J( A) J8 d2 y> 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
; }+ T; k3 ^) F9 f) k6 z> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
# W) _: k5 X2 `& r1 ]# X* W6 V> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
5 Z6 \+ B5 |/ j/ e/ e> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
: M0 F4 @) J2 s7 E" p4 r> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: a- A; D/ j. a> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
) u9 k) E' X, m! }- d4 y$ D+ M> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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" Y- B) w% x& B( |; X& E6 m: w> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
5 Q! n  E2 w( S7 u( r> 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
6 r0 g) L6 v( G0 [> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
9 A" N% y: \9 i> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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2 h' h9 E  r# Z- u4 _> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
( [! \- F% }9 d) W# o5 H> 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
; ^( r5 J- P7 x) r> 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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 G0 a; J* c; z! b+ Z+ F) J7 N! G! e> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
# X- L6 P( q# [> 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
% E! d: h, I9 I% o1 S> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
2 Q2 B  h& o8 n; A+ |& N> You now have two choices:
) x* W& ]6 x$ X> 1. Delete
6 l4 a8 M8 p1 _% M3 N1 o> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.