Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
$ y5 ^8 x. m9 _+ S: j1 j> 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?
3 K% D8 i: K! h- U$ F3 a>
( T7 U7 ~$ h. \; Q7 o9 ~> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
2 z" \( t% x. _- [  K* y( n5 i> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
: y' ~9 C5 s" A2 i> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
; Y/ D# A  r) h* P> staff, he offered a question:
; y1 n" }( F$ X: ?0 m9 T$ f>
" v# y0 \6 V0 y) ^9 \6 u> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 I# O, X* n. Y. U6 v> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
+ K( p. ]* i1 [* m: t+ k> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
- z- K& [! w7 S> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 k: W% m  R! U$ x> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
2 p/ Q- M( f% k3 `# n: |> treat that child.'
7 j: e5 o8 ~( S9 u6 o, Q>
% D2 a5 W0 e; `/ H' K> Then he told the following story:
>
0 z. Q4 d( q4 g7 c> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
/ b$ y5 B: T5 t3 _) H0 q) _* _> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
2 n* ^" `6 y! s" c> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
6 Q. Q  H0 `( x3 f& E> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
) t+ a; W5 O; b0 ?> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
" i+ s0 n/ R! o& J) f" e> 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.'
! ]) m% [- X) K3 E; ~$ l) p( u>
4 }* N$ E- T2 r9 a0 x> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
/ \; M7 E" |0 G3 O; O> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
$ V& e. Z' W- {4 V0 m3 s) D> 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
/ S0 ^7 S% z% j$ @> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 Q* J2 {; U% Y> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
- z% ~3 k' d4 i& Y* i. A> 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.
>
/ i3 T' E# V" p1 q2 Z> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ ]; N, u8 P) ^6 J1 [: L> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
* i( e4 S7 o/ C# p> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
0 ]$ f1 J% S& m) |> 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
. ]( V) c1 s8 d$ w4 o! S% j$ R> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
3 Q0 |. h5 n2 I, b4 @> 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
- l) Z( I- q+ A( a5 j> right back to the pitcher.
0 G9 v; B% _8 l6 p1 n>
9 g: m  Z, A3 G9 @* V> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
- v& r  D; k; d( ?7 g3 m> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
$ u# s" h0 v8 f, W0 x> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
4 d0 j0 n/ X4 x> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
1 @3 Z& R: o$ L3 a8 r  Z9 ^$ L> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> 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
6 R  h  d5 W( s9 [! H+ w> 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
3 k1 b" H- o; n, b> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
' Z0 W6 K0 I; u7 _( R9 j3 m> 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
0 P  v+ ]: Q+ N> 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!'
>
> 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
- }$ c  o2 e: Q* l> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
' L$ L' A6 C; d* V( j3 |>
> '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
8 Q3 e4 Z6 \% y> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
* ~# z: {4 H) X3 [+ A> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
" ~& c) I. h2 W> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
) n5 o2 q3 u- F  e& U- R- I! Z5 L> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
, n3 |6 S( G9 v> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
( z8 O0 ?5 @, Z" x>
> 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
# @& a& Y# V# p& x& S9 F9 e# k> '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
# Q6 `/ K) b9 \1 w, Y> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
) h$ c7 h; G. g( ?2 T7 @7 q>
( A- _1 m% p- V1 j1 [7 i: \> You now have two choices:
8 l" K2 i! n( T' F% V> 1. Delete
. s" K3 F' }7 M" h' d: K> 2. Forward
* T7 I+ z2 c9 Q0 }0 w>
, K$ c( e+ M! g/ c% C& F- ^# d. S/ }7 E. L> May your day, be a Shay Day.