Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
8 }- E) Z8 v, W6 z- a. B3 M! I# `, y> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 e' g: y( |( q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
5 [+ F* t4 P# f, F8 }1 ^( Y>
- c# L8 o+ r+ I; S9 F> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
7 [9 R( ~1 ?5 K, i8 p6 p9 t3 v> 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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# B3 Y/ Q& Z* m8 v3 g" P> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
7 c( N9 a5 b/ ~. A% a> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
5 `0 o, Y- n3 Z> treat that child.'
  q" ^# [& j4 V9 D; L>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% i  ^7 j) q2 n0 L& B9 x> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
, Q- U, _: c# [( [>
' J# x7 g9 H% J$ X/ C> 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
+ `; l3 @2 I: B> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
# i' V2 l8 a% ~: T* D$ r5 _> 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
2 s! Z7 L2 J1 T, T3 I; g# q> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
9 F2 |: T: M" e0 Z> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
, N4 t) |5 _; u4 q2 y> 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
0 K# Y! }! A3 A. \9 |> 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
> 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
> next at bat.
8 `" c3 a0 `" M>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
& r& k% U- u9 ?> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
+ ^5 X: N! g" g1 N- n> 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
4 ?% Z  a+ u, f1 Y; d> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
* F- n! w- D1 ?" c- F9 Q3 F> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
4 j- l2 M0 N% P- |& j> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
2 s1 c, r; V% e) [* E* g" w>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 X( T9 @( [. `8 l! t" o> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
+ k& `! V0 T) f: ]6 ?* a/ u! t> 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
> 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
& M6 U: c: ?' x  h) A% r  v2 t; \% v> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
8 g3 [4 B# u( K/ \' y9 b>
) k8 J/ R; N* J8 {8 @> 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
. X3 U+ P( d% ^9 ^1 a7 B> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ A8 c4 S4 |& d( `% c> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
" @1 m8 B* a5 `4 W. n0 R# q/ b> 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.
>
% }# z0 e& K4 u. ]6 q% }> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
>
+ |% w! w' C- E6 }* K$ t> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
: D9 S3 o4 B- S) L& A> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
) X. Q( p1 J$ B7 v9 t2 W> game for his team.
>
6 X* i8 A6 O0 ^$ I> '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
/ x8 q) V. D1 [# Q> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 l1 @: z) o0 b& I; }& Z! A7 w* }' e3 D> 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!
>
> 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
/ ]' W, c9 x$ ~3 ~% y3 W( j" Z2 K* x> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
+ l/ y0 i3 ^, \; }; n! j> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
* b( _: q5 D1 z> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
$ C4 \2 B0 @1 _+ d: j> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
- \: h. l/ p: k8 c$ t$ w> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
; x! g) C' ]5 j% O. I> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
3 V% b' B' b. y. p> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
1 t# b+ Z; m0 h# I" S; X! F> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
3 Y) V) L- i" e. e% O& g> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
5 X; M0 \/ V- Z* o9 y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
8 k) c& P1 H: \6 q3 s6 g3 z>
* {; u" P& g" w> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
0 l6 ]5 Z2 _: S" {; Q4 c# Q> 2. Forward
>
% O  e' n0 _6 T* \- z; b* j% e> May your day, be a Shay Day.