Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: [4 d/ _: Y, C* A% D> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
/ f! w2 g( o. G+ ^1 K4 P& V7 x> same choice?
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9 a4 n* t& V* J. K# |) f, _( ?> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
: m; ]* n$ P: j, t> 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
6 K- {% l$ M) Q- n0 @* V> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
" ~0 c, Z$ x2 h$ t7 u> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
+ c& _: q, [" b* C' h> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# N+ [- R# \# X7 b$ e8 c  u> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
" o, {3 a4 C, x9 d> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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; \1 U" ?0 s% V> Then he told the following story:
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& W' @, F# N, B( k6 j0 v> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
4 Q, Z0 }$ o7 Y9 U> 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
  E+ j7 [. B# p( b> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
# X" Y6 j# h% W1 S* H> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
/ F# h1 t0 s% w3 O  m> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
3 d/ g& p/ R" E" J> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
5 ?8 f" |* ]. [- O- U> 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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/ W2 M4 c( @  r% F5 b* K/ W> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> 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
5 b( M& C, `4 x4 \% ^3 x/ P8 i8 R* `3 d> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
, w1 u. I- n+ g/ S  L4 u" {> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
6 m9 Z( M* i3 T8 @> 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
+ F1 \! B0 X0 r( t# ?> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
0 R  }: w* Q7 z0 c* e. P/ i) i> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 e: _- K2 n( ~8 Q3 p& d> 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,
" x& U. _5 b5 P> much less connect with the ball.
) M) }- }$ J9 q. \& `3 V> 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
! `& _, ~. w( ]! g& l> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
7 e% Y. @9 h/ G% d% F  k> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
: g" m( Q) n& K; l/ V2 J> right back to the pitcher.
>
$ q/ r3 X$ c. d9 V$ v! {  d& I: {* j> 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.
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> 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
, R7 h, ~! u% d1 v> 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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; i5 _& v2 l) S> 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
! |$ [1 ]$ W# X9 b% }# s: p  {- J> 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,
> 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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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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; ?: R( ?. r) O$ J0 m> 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
& R3 `" m1 ?* a: v' T> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
7 X/ b, O0 ~$ G. m> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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
7 }4 l9 A. h2 F+ A0 `6 C> into this world'.
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1 X. K7 o# Y1 k' C# w3 A* h> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
; p* P  b% V% g' B7 ^4 v( r> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
2 V5 f4 n, e. x; s. N* u' j7 u> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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- h& D: i5 B( x# a, b7 u> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
9 {2 i. ?  c* q0 y$ F) O> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
) z% f' j2 \3 v  k+ |; E> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
  T/ a# q$ g5 `/ 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
( D7 e8 x3 s! O2 ~> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
. c% m0 B% k, d* E  w: h& i> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# B% o% m  ?" v2 e4 x/ H+ S2 O8 h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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  o) P* K4 {3 }: U> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
0 y: H- u7 j9 |7 O. R> 2. Forward
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. s. H6 l# o5 ?5 b$ E$ @> May your day, be a Shay Day.