Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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4 `8 J7 P* a0 }: i/ I> 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?
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  R+ d% p( b: _+ ]/ {> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
/ Q( i" n$ h- q. t# U  O> 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
; g  |1 ?; c0 }) a. r) @> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
) i  s$ D/ o: a* P( x2 |/ S> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
' ?) \$ ]2 K$ R/ {> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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+ W- C! n  p  B/ \8 [> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* z5 X0 W* l) I2 g> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' [* N! C$ P) j. r; g> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
% T  b5 m5 }/ _, g: q# s7 S> Then he told the following story:
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" _9 ?. U2 R* s> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 Y2 {/ i8 p* h5 }> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
: Q' R% a8 E0 y& o+ r2 X! |) y# B; y> 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
: H/ y4 @( F, Z# h, k. Q' L/ _# E> 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
$ _( @- M2 D8 w- I: J( \> 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
0 _$ ^( [: G( G3 r9 _* u0 l9 V> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
" W+ ~& k) m. |" t  T: K# b> 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
> 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
  N4 q( O7 `% a& l: P% V: H, y0 j> 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
7 M7 K! O0 e! n& h> next at bat.
>
0 ]% w: E; n1 S. ^; |" U> 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
5 g% N+ W9 {5 ]! A5 G% [: w% B! m> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
  d, o' A; e$ x& p5 U7 @> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
( Q/ b( @9 O7 ]" @; J> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
( P0 Q  H3 P# g3 E5 _> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
$ e$ l" z: L! H  {+ T( K; k6 R8 p> 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.
>
' q6 w0 ^8 B+ z6 R> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 d# y; N0 ^0 y2 T7 T> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
, N: ?- o6 A9 ~, ~" d$ H, M> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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8 s" R4 h$ O- Y) f# ]6 S; \> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
, i, Q) T: [3 D, `$ d4 H> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
% e6 _( n' |1 m- V  U, ]> 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,
# Q- X" e" ?  G  U> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. K; ~9 U- A- N  Q9 d> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
7 u6 ?3 t: U% T: q! e! E1 R> 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
7 E2 Y8 C! M) `5 r! q" i> 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
' E* G6 f/ g7 _) I# Q' C/ i> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
9 X& B4 B2 ~( ~> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
! C# o0 N1 K' e2 J# R2 X1 B> Shay, run to third!'
>
- A! I1 |" i, s! K' x8 g> 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
. w" e4 P' l3 T" ~& v> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
& G. s2 o! H9 n6 Z8 U7 `) x> '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
> 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
1 Y% V1 y% W2 O- v" r+ ^; \> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
5 a& G/ w4 I5 t0 u  w) g> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
# t' F- r) g1 x! _$ S> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
# W2 l; X+ z5 V; K5 u> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
/ a' s1 L4 q, F& j: \9 a" u( r( I> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
' x4 v) n9 e9 i> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
4 R6 ~& z3 P1 g, ^: t> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
1 }- t3 p# l' W; n" K> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.