Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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+ d4 `$ y" I. Y& U0 q% W  L2 g2 l7 C> 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,
1 R( y  V" n9 l2 y5 ]6 V0 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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0 a" Z8 M6 a  }% c4 a* J> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 ?* x( _2 H4 B. \> 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
4 U- v2 w" W8 ?9 A  L> natural order of things in my son?'
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' d& ?, H& [/ L6 V( l4 M0 A> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
* J% a: Y1 M& i( k> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
( A$ q, `) W# |5 M) f" d> 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
; q6 Y3 M7 L/ a& ~3 V* Y> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
- u: Z. n7 `+ G' P> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
! \. B; X+ g5 t> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
$ u+ e4 p$ r* W* M) m, F> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
, s1 G5 G% i' b> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
> 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
  B6 w1 v2 {/ I, E' Q6 C> inning.'
>
7 ?1 @$ ^1 }3 R8 {> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
; L8 ?1 I! q4 |5 ~9 A6 |( {. ]> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
4 K( W% d5 r) w, z. P6 D> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
4 ]; f' D$ n, X> 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
) I8 u% T0 o) P> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
0 _- _5 h, D" f9 y$ b" Z> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
2 t$ p% e& B* Q1 Y: _> 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,
& _7 m( y( K+ V- A* T  a> much less connect with the ball.
$ X* M# a# D) x- X0 V> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
! I( t% v4 j1 q> 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
& u7 A+ m; _! Q# J> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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. B; F/ q( d: r  {! [7 \9 v; w> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
" {6 l2 {8 N2 A. L& K+ m> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
. [$ O- P3 ?. D7 e2 X> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
/ [- H6 G) [! l7 ~! O  O> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
% M& f. G3 F1 x  j% H& d> 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
" Y: m, T9 J% ~" N9 y- L) 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
> 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,
) a  w* L/ x4 B( Y9 H> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
6 n' B% j4 t* s* `3 e> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
+ S. ]7 f3 e; Y; K9 P5 H1 p0 N> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
' o6 h$ h4 Y# ~0 ]2 ?) {2 m! z> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
: Z! Y  k& m9 n& X2 e- h> 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
- J' v0 K: x+ r3 V; o> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 O- R0 }4 l6 G  O! E2 z> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
3 T% n. N! Z; Z: ^, V: A> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
- x; V9 L+ _# R; ^" P> 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!
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9 r4 L  w# p; s+ {> 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
$ e2 c6 ^& N; k4 z( A> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
( A* Y% ~8 v9 l- g9 I9 {. w> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
- E6 h0 Q8 M5 @# [7 z" q> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
& n/ g; u# n; h! u6 u) ~> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
  _! ~& @2 {, W) ]9 I> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
  X, K9 X( s# i0 \* K' T/ T> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
" |  H% r4 [% c9 ]( T, C> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
2 N2 J/ f/ g# f3 P5 m+ L* _6 T3 E> 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?
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. \( D, v& @0 }% V7 V> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 R; p- i2 {6 z> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
' C* w; x# }% x" o$ E; ]> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.