Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! Q4 G' q  S# i7 X" f3 w1 A3 J> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
  E0 Z. v. P  r6 Z( W! S9 L> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( ?6 E2 e7 K6 Y4 d( F7 u) v> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
" w% i0 G6 ?9 w, u( f/ @1 j* v6 U% `> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
1 q! v! h3 Q/ R, q" @; w5 M, K' Y# N- t> staff, he offered a question:
>
+ t5 X7 x# f; c/ w2 ^) R> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
$ D" j! p% D* h> 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
( P( @! a8 E1 {6 x' c: D- p, B> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
+ m0 O0 _' \+ _0 P2 z> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
, g# ]2 B7 a4 a9 v! W6 [> 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
. P/ f1 d% i: O1 h4 J> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 N& G. e3 ]7 `  u7 {> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
- h' U( G) j% l> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
5 Z. D+ Q2 ]( D; M> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
" f- ]! y9 ]+ L  l" k> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
1 L/ [# E4 H" f8 j& n. l> 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
% f/ x, s, U* C# O> 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
0 @, N* g) l% z0 _> 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
. r7 a+ q6 C& j, l4 c> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
9 Y: e, O* t) Y8 Y- ]: _> 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
: p. j! c/ V6 R$ ?$ F0 x3 g4 ]> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
" x# ?8 M) }: g) W6 f+ }3 X> next at bat.
>
3 s- ~" |! C7 J5 ]; f( [1 Z> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
: F6 A8 R& Q4 \3 e2 _> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
/ g. Z8 T5 w. B5 b> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
4 O6 c. K; H* L- K) m+ d> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 p' v& P4 a: N6 r  |> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
/ ]" R! E' ]3 t$ S2 {6 x9 Q> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 Z4 T8 M3 `% u> right back to the pitcher.
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* C/ @6 U* N. t5 I7 y> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) V( \0 y9 [2 x& _- ?* d- [. b> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
; Z( E0 K  o  h" @* O8 Q> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
7 D  X/ f# U6 V9 s1 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, i  K0 K> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> 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
1 h9 M) I% k0 J5 p7 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
' Y  g# z4 T9 @% k> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
( E# j" E( V& N0 ^) U> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
  E. I8 L" A# R> 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
3 v9 `9 z2 z. X" Y4 _> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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( V  e& V+ k- `> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 ]  O; o! M$ F7 ~5 [- c> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
7 n+ l( t( T% @  _> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" S  c5 ]( `. f. L; O. [: D. t> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
9 F5 }' V1 u* t. X) I& i> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
) Z, s8 |% g) D% O& h> game for his team.
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( C1 d( a, {, O$ `- h) n> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 |! ~8 Z8 ]6 m> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
% v; q) `5 r/ h: R> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: P( B/ L% U! T; \9 Q( F# F" M> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
( ~; b* r. w/ s8 h8 Y> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
5 R& T# \" U# ?> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
7 a* l$ p( S3 B> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
# O( N$ p# K6 C& A> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
* H# {7 R* A  x> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
& C: a1 o9 t; J. O> '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
0 V5 X# @4 d$ T0 _  @6 k: c> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
+ Z, M% n' U5 Z# c. }" e/ v% n> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
% y+ @0 r7 o. A5 v* H7 S> 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
, M# P7 Z4 J. L> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- L! H$ h" \/ z0 |4 ~> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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) L9 o& a% T4 D8 f> May your day, be a Shay Day.