Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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# w. F0 l$ o& C) f, U) ?3 ?. h' c> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: ^; C2 d, t1 I, ^3 A2 L> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
: e6 L, }$ m2 L( k) d8 z% c/ [; j9 Z> same choice?
>
> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
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, e; `3 Y- k! F( F- Y> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
% Z+ K4 n6 R* t+ b> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
" d, b) \  y# j% `& I1 c* O. f> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
4 ^* h# Z* Q' O- ^2 J8 D> natural order of things in my son?'
>
+ a8 P; b2 A3 E/ b> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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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> 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
> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> 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
% t) G4 T( Q5 p$ V> 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
9 Q" W+ g1 t0 Q3 T> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
4 n  L1 @) s! _0 Y  Y> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
; V1 V/ j4 ?+ h; o* F> 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
, w$ |( u, P; h* f> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
0 t  v' d1 {, ^3 u9 z& y3 Z> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
1 c& {1 T2 _( ~> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
! o" |* l4 F, C, W2 U> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
6 a- H% V# W1 @  }> much less connect with the ball.
7 Z7 B1 K  J0 e2 h) y> 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
( x& m  `1 Z* n6 S! S$ g* Q> 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.
# {. v' H& K( d3 ~! v- }> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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.
>
# t3 b" T8 _* X0 ^0 r> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
( T. [7 B5 g4 l* g6 J1 w. r% @> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
, z, {8 ~! {9 J* j: W6 o7 d> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
! @( d- R4 h' X5 L+ X) e( |+ `) R> 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
1 F  ?' ^, l" ?" K3 S; y( V* y> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
5 s5 q9 G3 j1 W( K0 Q$ n, g> 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
7 \5 ]( ]" K( l: y1 @! Z> 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,
" N! O. x# {# V# ~, q( ~9 [- Q" C> 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.
>
8 k% r4 w8 i( G$ O$ \0 ^9 Z> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
1 h, l$ f+ [2 _; U2 Y+ L> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
, t/ O' z9 c! L" N4 q5 B4 L> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
) F! g5 ^6 e2 M/ F, u, U. g> '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'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 I: o8 S" V4 |> 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!
>
) ?" |3 u& H9 d9 ^8 Q8 T> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
) k# c0 H: w6 `' ~> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
" s( [+ T3 l$ _5 g- ~> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
% }3 j, a/ p; W1 |: {. p7 X- v> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
/ c, a( A" Y% m( h2 V> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
) m, b- D" s* \. N  K! {> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
$ w9 h/ s1 V  a7 _! u( N% R9 F+ B> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
> 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
/ Y$ T" m& R! x( x> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
! W; F  F# C. C> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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( Y6 d5 q3 v" p& U2 O> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
5 c8 r1 @7 p7 O& \, K: ~9 ?> 2. Forward
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4 d8 F/ H$ x: H4 X% a6 L> May your day, be a Shay Day.