Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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+ z  ~: A) v) t9 U, y9 O> 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?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
* L+ K2 n/ `! q5 A4 `8 v9 J- S> 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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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' F; h1 j3 E7 e" X) H% k> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
) V: T- @9 p2 a8 E> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
& q- B9 u& {* ?0 L' Q; P6 [& F" W> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
, z4 Z9 q1 S4 w, e  @6 o: ^> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
' d: i7 d% M" z5 E> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  T( K) Z9 a+ `% A9 X> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, v. t. d7 ~  Q> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 N& m! ]* a6 y0 W: @% c/ ~> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
6 T) ~1 K+ ?' G, e2 y" {/ z> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
  A4 k1 J0 Z# k) X1 ~# M3 c> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
" b" O8 i- h- Q> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 N. w+ ?0 E9 _, t. h> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
  A1 q4 w' o1 q9 r2 {# ~> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ g. n, g% J; V' L/ G( X> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
- D/ N/ |; l' }; g6 F( T% j, s- O> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
  K# X- d7 I. e7 B& Q  V; ?+ u. j> 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
> 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
6 [4 g7 m  O8 A' v# q% M" B> 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
: R# T1 H3 d' H. F6 D> next at bat.
>
> 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,
8 m& C0 F4 W" F6 a) c  G8 b) E> much less connect with the ball.
1 g; y+ G" c, w! v/ X> 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
0 F% K2 g- l. k6 f% I> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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1 k' w6 o& }4 y; {1 J5 ~: N> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 g0 J, U) u* _% `> 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.
>
+ A. L) n( y; k> 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
- r9 o+ x, v& B6 ]  o5 j> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
( L$ A4 X) C) _1 i. n/ y) E> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
) N& Y% ^$ l- q; O> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- [4 p- Q. C$ q" l0 h& n' ?) W> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
  a0 B: m: A4 |* 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
( ~/ F. @( ~& v> 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
2 S$ ?  M  r; H5 U+ K$ j" s> circled the bases toward home.
>
) d. T1 U! |4 U5 x7 r; r> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" {4 \, i- v8 P9 u# F. v> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
. d' d( o. M0 l. l4 m* S> Shay, run to third!'
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- M1 X5 S) F1 v+ R. C1 @/ s- ~> 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
) F# ~5 D& {- j> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
3 e* ]# j- `1 |> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
2 i( ?. p- y0 ^> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
8 U2 K) C  I# c# f> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
" U5 D; y7 ]' X3 ^: l, a1 ]> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
. z6 \/ n" t6 s> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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6 T- |4 v% ?7 o# e4 ~" x> 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
: Y5 [: Z/ h, u  d> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
$ n, n5 c0 n: {, e- V6 z0 @  a> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
3 ~( ~) |8 N7 ~0 u% S4 Y7 [: P0 a; M> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
2 d. O) w9 F5 v4 R/ 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
; t0 l( H9 \8 Z* I6 ]" E% w$ Y+ `+ ]> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
2 e2 e! Y* k, o$ b> 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
# U: k7 `+ k- z7 {/ o' X> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
5 V9 Y! x; [* W# R- r> 2. Forward
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% o& \$ @8 u. o3 w! G" Q. E% ]+ \# l> May your day, be a Shay Day.