Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
% m3 c0 D5 M2 k9 ?7 \/ Q: g> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
; x4 j( G. s8 c( D  K> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
8 U% E: H9 S1 h5 {> 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:
; O# T% B( K9 l>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; k7 ?. F$ q. j6 P> 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
% M+ v/ Z; R" D; \1 ]) O) D% n: p> natural order of things in my son?'
3 b) L( |, b" B) u- J7 V>
8 r7 w. ~5 F6 w1 l3 y7 b> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
0 M) n( h3 u! a$ G; A> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
) f9 k: g  l# x+ H> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
% i/ x3 Y7 @6 W) A& D>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 p' `0 \& f4 b/ k6 k8 d; D1 P& y> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
0 W. D5 {/ m) A> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
3 V: U& j  k1 ~8 ]! l+ r> 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
6 ]  r" K/ U6 N8 R> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
/ W1 c7 _# M: }! i: U/ G% b- v>
" Y( t8 u7 ^; J4 q- g# Z: B) @> 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
7 x0 }9 e1 ~: ~> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
5 ?2 v" ^) m$ d- s> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
4 L/ V/ R! E4 U* B8 K& p> inning.'
>
> 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
6 i' g) B: m, L- m/ k, X> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
) v0 a6 R  O; O. Z/ p# u> 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
5 d$ ]' Z# n. I! b2 M0 V6 b> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
2 }& O. S8 ?! E8 Z8 x" M/ y* a1 F: B> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
. ^; [0 {/ M" ~> much less connect with the ball.
, G! H. p& i; X" f" @4 G: {> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
+ j( n% d% H  d5 P7 ?( F> 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
; P: Q8 p7 l. Y. x+ F/ I> 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
7 n; b" x3 F0 @' N3 J" \9 Y" {) I> right back to the pitcher.
>
7 k, V/ n! K4 d0 c& W2 l: O! {> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( M" Q& A* A+ z8 N4 ^; r( F> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
6 a/ M- L$ N9 y  ~  o" R> out and that would have been the end of the game.
  n- L( {8 |1 O/ n( [: A, m/ r>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
/ w! b2 Q# V+ I/ y> 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
* F9 a, h1 Z. |! C9 h: b# r; I" D* _> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
! L/ s0 F- K, R; F+ 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
+ `  M$ C0 t5 d/ g* E) R> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
% H* P/ M! H+ {7 f> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
: v$ D1 [, e/ k* L6 m$ n> 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.
>
& \/ ]& U, q! y/ w> 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!
& p( t, ?( b6 E% J5 g> Shay, run to third!'
>
- \% g1 x* ^* v) h> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
3 ^, X/ m5 R* M! ^8 v) V> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
4 K9 ~! r# A) F/ j- C> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
1 l2 w1 J, `3 G, s+ U& F: j> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 T3 D  w6 t7 e% h. s; k* j# G. c; }> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
0 ]2 e- O2 X" N' I8 z3 W> 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!
, R/ o/ r. ]0 r. D# H  R0 o% i>
> 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
4 `' x/ R3 ]3 O: d  P> 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.
>
  h. W1 F4 y3 a: z1 _) ?. Z) N> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
$ ~5 d5 @9 z1 L9 b& q& b  E> 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
# L4 y0 Y: Y* u: h* K  {> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
1 t# Q8 C! g, m6 v* e* F> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
' \4 g2 M$ R: S( b> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
) W! x0 [. r/ i> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
0 @. S2 [& o2 S; k; i> bit colder in the process?
>
0 R. m, X8 V# q0 ]> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" ^" |" w& h& `+ f! |1 `> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
2 Y/ r! ]) p1 `. h. s* L9 S; m> 1. Delete
7 w0 k: G8 w( C' b; v> 2. Forward
>
- o5 Q; d6 T% `% u9 {( }> May your day, be a Shay Day.