Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
. y# S, ]1 x6 N$ T- o( |( f> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
( {+ L  G# u: M; A> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
! @' }$ W# \* s> same choice?
>
. @3 J, ]4 s1 e% M> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
0 k8 m* e( }/ D1 F4 O: g  A0 x$ ^> 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
) M, A4 @8 i! ?% o. ~6 s> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ _9 ~& ^6 b& d1 p5 [% N  L# d0 E> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# w$ L/ [8 k: |& Y4 j> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
2 a- |7 `* b* N" b) @6 C> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
8 E0 L. h& @! P- b> natural order of things in my son?'
/ l! _3 R9 `% a2 l9 [1 t& S$ l>
/ G$ k0 X/ p) ^& m> The audience was stilled by the query.
' n. Z. K% w& m0 T>
; }! k1 B2 r: m* f( ?2 K> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( x8 }$ c. J  y- A' b, A; d( G> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
$ m- X, C; a. V/ r" O7 o$ J& s0 G4 D> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
$ Q6 }4 R2 h! l>
> 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
! B; |2 j# H4 P/ U' E> 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
( B8 D6 e+ F& n, v> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
8 |- e- e8 K- ?. h>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
3 E- g9 `+ L4 \' v6 f* C# |> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
; s4 f3 Y! l) N: e) l* R7 U' \3 c> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
3 e* |; K# C$ h/ e' Y2 O> 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
3 M. O0 }# z& L" U( t$ M; B3 |> 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
- J: D) d, U% V, i0 F2 d4 q" ?6 a> 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
3 D, P& g5 j/ m0 {% @> 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
6 \# V# S( o# e4 c( L! t> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
  A5 U3 S: B; K/ y. C> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; q6 ]/ B* c% t5 P) h& M> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
$ A: U5 x- N2 W> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
  {+ T" E1 C7 q> much less connect with the ball.
7 e# N) Q2 O. N% A9 w" Z: w> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
5 M  I- b* b* E& a( 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
/ @! _" Q' v) o5 k6 Y0 q> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
7 O" `2 y+ J) _4 c4 J- }# o2 b> 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.
2 K* c9 g2 r$ m$ ]. 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.
1 u* M4 E! X& z3 j# |>
. w  J$ e# G" o> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
7 p. m) [: c* l" H' S9 W> 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
; Z' N: k4 C7 `8 G0 H( @- n> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
* t( E% g4 \" O  i* s3 E>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 n; P  `' G  Q$ ]0 P> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
8 }, x/ {5 C7 b# Q* c) I* Z9 _- [& c> 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
3 Q8 H! m+ z" J8 ~> 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
0 M5 P5 ?. Z9 x! I> circled the bases toward home.
% o; t( @$ s( E! h/ Y( ]. ?; }>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
9 K8 N$ i  U0 s5 [- H>
> 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!
' H; j6 _# Q7 c7 O: O9 |! A> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
) J$ V; p# A: q0 y& b, J& z" |# {6 K( E> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
6 H6 V+ ?% O$ l6 y) x> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  ?4 X1 Z& C; ]6 B3 B> game for his team.
) S8 ]/ m! k2 t- z( ?; ^8 A>
' Q5 X/ t6 |, W- ?2 k> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 ?* g/ v9 e) X; b# u% s! `> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
0 M4 P2 }) {' f- }# n% r3 k> into this world'.
! t, I+ p* x8 ?/ P4 r4 F; q& e>
* T; m/ \! ~0 u> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
; V; h( O+ `/ I" [+ a( E' R( t& P> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
' [6 d/ H- n# A: P3 t8 {> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
1 f, Y; C. b5 F4 n* U. X" p>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* w. u2 c: c$ j$ I> 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
; l1 A8 i: y& Y) T) |> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
2 _; w. r0 N& ~- k> 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
+ x" J! N1 g% h" e. D" d% I> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
3 V% K; u% Z! |3 o7 v/ ~> 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
1 o# K) z! f9 P0 n9 A> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 F- M/ }, v6 ~+ r> 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
4 c6 ?  U# ^# u5 n) Q- W1 u$ U> bit colder in the process?
2 q7 |, `3 Q/ T: H: B% Q>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
. M  a/ p  }  b>
> You now have two choices:
" \9 c$ d/ v6 A; b- v0 L4 N> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
  \" ~6 G" A: F" H% _( }7 r; n; X>
$ I# r0 i; C( l# V# V0 A> May your day, be a Shay Day.