Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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$ p6 ^" R( @- d> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
8 P2 W/ E9 @% }: X+ R, L& T0 S( J> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
& ^+ y) L2 X* j6 |8 I6 b6 J> same choice?
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/ d3 v( m2 h' q% S: q3 N& [7 F> 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
  I$ v0 Q/ O" Y5 H2 A, W; h> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* h+ C% j8 z& T7 {3 B. R- j% q$ [> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 B' }& I! F) I$ _> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
) \8 F" M- C- W, i> natural order of things in my son?'
>
4 @$ l) e8 J$ r. u9 ^7 C# O> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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.'
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( G& b$ M: c; `" j9 W) |  i3 y> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 u$ A) c7 \+ H" |> 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
7 O. F+ @" \2 h" U/ T7 Z2 j> 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.
>
- U% ~8 y4 {- D+ @- w( q' Y> 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
> 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
# M5 D- y( J) B$ @3 W> 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
) S/ v% X4 f8 Q6 Q$ g> 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
5 I2 J4 O' C% t$ c5 U) I> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
  G2 e6 e8 O/ d6 j/ _5 R2 g! i> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
) r5 h9 J' N9 D: F4 m: o> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
) A6 k0 Z$ J- O  x> 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
0 r2 X8 \. k# r  v; `4 B4 s  Q& f* _/ x> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
; M) T% J  _' K1 N0 p3 Y> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 ]' V# s8 b( X6 [" h> 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
/ t! @$ {( S$ d' d; r+ s. [> 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
+ C- b3 J0 h  D1 V' x/ u+ u> right back to the pitcher.
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" Y& h9 ], O- O' P8 ?% j& C> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ i9 L1 y6 L4 o> 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.
>
: @% o& ?6 a2 v4 ?> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
$ w( [1 F$ [" z> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
- |+ y( v( y0 ]# m5 T> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
5 l! i" I( U& P4 [4 i> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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6 B* v% `2 _. U, J& H) U> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
1 \. C6 C4 W  K, ^2 v" H> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
# V, `4 ~9 B2 l' X: L3 I& q> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
6 r! I* r7 O! i+ W; J> 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'.
>
8 B" K: W- {6 k# b6 m> 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
> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
7 L/ F5 p& N0 _- I' j> 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.
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, |! m1 z) P7 L$ w0 O> 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
  l: X# t2 S: }7 o) x> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
+ P  U/ f3 }$ p2 y5 Y> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
$ ], I  W2 {, U! w7 a' w! N> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
3 C4 ]# Z! q4 @6 M3 s& b% P8 I> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
; ^3 k9 v! m$ H> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
1 m3 A; x3 D: g9 ~0 D5 Z4 K> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
6 z! T; O* N4 ~9 r& g  h> bit colder in the process?
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. \: ^4 s9 Q1 E0 Y8 N$ u> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- H2 c1 }$ d8 {* G* _% E0 G/ i> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
0 ]0 ~( y. v4 D5 z8 w& @% w* {% B> You now have two choices:
7 D% z- p6 x) C% p$ _$ y> 1. Delete
3 x2 o, s1 I; r& y2 K. H$ M> 2. Forward
>
- p7 f* |. q. m1 G> May your day, be a Shay Day.