Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
( Q3 d  V$ a/ q% z" w3 m* `> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. s' y' H* M3 v/ f% g- a9 e> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 A4 I0 w$ S+ R; t$ E* g1 ]> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
% R' x, R% y% y  c3 _. U> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
% [. x: g) F$ g, e> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
, }+ A# m- g4 `; g> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
/ W# b* z# g/ e> 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
> treat that child.'
>
7 G1 n4 e. _2 C- C/ ]+ k  `, z: |' Q> Then he told the following story:
>
# |9 h" H3 Z2 r1 `> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> 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
; G& {! F* F8 {& V# x> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
, p3 t! y& k! g; {$ [> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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& y! m! {* g( D5 q6 W/ U/ L> 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
4 J4 ~, ^$ F1 A. H> 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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3 p/ ?; h  v$ w. Z* R9 Y2 ?7 R$ \1 F> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ k. c. G, l) }! c( c4 |) _> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
: A2 h( ?# @: S* p% H% _> 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 c2 R" _, l) T+ x> 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
- D) ~$ b1 _+ S% }5 d( u4 }> 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
, h: |* T, V  ^! D> 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
) q% [7 v$ J# Z; M% [. l/ Z& X> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
7 W+ w  ]3 O: v- j% R" A> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
; |9 B+ i) |/ D3 }> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
5 A; E$ a% X* q6 n> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
+ h) U2 S, d+ G> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
( E2 S$ `1 Q* w$ F' M* O> 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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% f0 `4 Y/ x  p& G( |& H> 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
> 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
% W% |! a* _, h+ Q/ Y> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
, v9 l* q' s! Q$ I" a7 p> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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0 h! _& t2 ?* b* r) W& [> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
. g- ^( h6 I# t+ e% r. W; B> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 i/ {  u5 F( s3 [6 B> 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
( G" \* v# ?" w# F! @) N% R  r> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
- n) w2 P3 E7 s& w9 q( |! c> 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
$ P" L' J6 r6 d: A" C7 S# B> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
6 G4 D& N* F* }; a2 G2 W>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
+ B* }5 `  _, y( X/ Y> 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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' q( d0 j- c- ^9 G7 r> 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
( X+ v# {/ M* X4 @' K# w) E; ^> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
4 |6 G: v- ~+ ?1 C+ U+ \> game for his team.
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> '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
> into this world'.
>
4 V  s  M+ p$ m; h  M6 Z9 Y; h  R> 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
) Z1 R* c3 N  f5 i3 \> 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
; s0 J" Z3 @% a9 L. }7 `> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
0 X' @- b) h% t5 J) H> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
# {% a7 }& R; c% E> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
& s. u! n" i3 @- {/ L  r> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 P# i  ?4 O0 Z3 K  `# Z> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
  T3 C. ?- s! C$ {4 X> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
+ m7 W$ `4 `; @  b> 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
* u1 @& s; V0 G- W> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
8 ?0 `7 d$ `" d8 |% J> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> 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.
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, _" h, G: Y! m/ ]- P. B# ~> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
0 v% r& q+ |& u5 d" ?> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.