Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
# r* R0 ~( I+ Q" V7 l  M" j! P> 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
; N* m* x' G8 V8 q> same choice?
>
) O% T! G  L) A3 N> 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
2 k! x! D6 n" g7 g' Y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
7 v% {2 W: u9 S4 ]> staff, he offered a question:
; w) I9 ]* }9 H! [>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
2 U( X4 m' [" T( U. |, H) [2 u* X* a> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
, T" f3 h" X* v  c6 f" w> 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
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 Z# E. V6 h. W( V+ M/ i9 K> treat that child.'
' C# I2 f: E; [0 I: ?/ p>
> Then he told the following story:
7 t  t( a7 h& n# @: j/ r>
> 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
4 R+ p9 ~' F3 U" f% l4 }! n> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
( D/ `" s0 H" Y  S5 C9 |7 G3 c) @' e> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
( p9 [0 ^0 }( N. m; p3 \, h> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
) `4 C/ ?1 [6 c# ]$ f; @$ U7 J, D2 [> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
+ M5 e" u* H5 I: J- w4 t* Q8 ]> inning.'
>
, E" t4 l. X6 C4 F0 M( p! V" V- c> 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
# X) n% Z; i: s> 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
* X: P4 a3 V6 q+ l> 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 g3 g5 w+ `& ]6 S> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% M# h; v% t' P7 ~. P> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
: |. R3 e' N( s. S5 t0 o> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
8 O/ n* Z. {6 d4 d' t) m> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
( j. N+ h5 C7 D( I> next at bat.
, x- Y) O5 Y9 ?- ^, E& x$ n>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 w- `6 k5 D- f6 R* y9 y> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
; n5 e6 o3 ~# Q6 ?> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
2 k* r# t  v) D0 S" _> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
5 w" B& D6 Q( k! v/ k* {+ M) ?1 r> 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.
>
1 f* [$ C' K9 G, e$ U' \> 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
1 q) q4 I# t$ s0 y0 j. G> out and that would have been the end of the game.
' m$ s4 \8 C$ W) }* m- y8 b>
; t$ V; I  f- T5 F" ^> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
2 N+ M+ {# L) E1 R6 w% m% ?> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
) q2 @* x" K1 _$ n% f6 n$ n& W, x) q" B> wide-eyed and startled.
0 i4 b  B+ b" @>
> 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
' d3 ]) @! u1 d+ k  p5 {: F) a1 r> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
5 z- ]& }) f4 y& V) ^, s* Z1 ~> 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
, P, X9 Q5 U3 o9 U1 |& i0 m1 _> circled the bases toward home.
1 u" ?) Z* r' N0 I>
6 k2 ]* A- A$ S2 b> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
) `- F- u( w  A>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
& m  w% w2 t' O5 _" n/ Q+ d6 S# S> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
6 Z+ v0 h, T5 L>
> 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
  H  R6 I8 n9 [, n> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
3 H1 P  e. B8 H> game for his team.
( D) E% |5 B# ~>
( i7 D& p+ d0 R> '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'.
>
+ E8 E6 g+ X! k4 ?2 o> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' b; \: ~9 W2 Z: M/ C; e! L+ V> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
7 J9 K5 d4 |; k9 N. `2 Y( g> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
8 Y% ?. d; B; u$ S# z  y: M% Y>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
2 c$ f6 R' U* p* H3 Z> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
1 L& G6 A9 e. U9 l: q. g5 j> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
2 }% r3 P9 j9 L- l) W! ]  W> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
* z$ n3 v/ E- o; x; K  `3 x# }> 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
> '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
/ b: l  t* _9 B4 ?0 E0 Y8 T+ z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
  {+ h- n2 h' I> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! z+ b, v$ v) X- |/ D7 W> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
( m% M$ X. z! d! Z" T* Y0 w> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
* j. e1 P) u% W3 l  m/ f> bit colder in the process?
( d) S, M. N' e( J>
/ Z+ J' p# L5 b6 U$ a8 Z: e> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
1 }& Z! j* y8 C" A) g8 L5 ^> 1. Delete
5 T/ K& i+ N& \4 F& {% }> 2. Forward
# I9 Q+ e" U' j2 y2 V" x5 ^5 ?3 u>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.