Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: P" G# n0 d( D8 {/ ~> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
) Y; B2 g  i6 \1 A> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
  g9 I5 h) }0 |0 W2 j( p: [6 @> 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
9 q! H  r! J. Y6 }% U8 l. v> staff, he offered a question:
>
3 k$ O2 Y) }& k$ O' Z> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
+ ^7 j5 I% f5 `7 t+ D) A( J> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
* [: [8 I, s) \8 u( o$ T> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
. v2 {+ |3 X8 E- Q> natural order of things in my son?'
0 s& A$ I5 ?3 \# p9 u>
! Y) R- A  Q# {( j; M7 \7 G4 F> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
/ J9 m9 `9 Z/ c; n9 V' n( s> 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
> treat that child.'
+ M; Q9 H1 p' x, G) n' F) F2 f>
. h3 q0 B7 {# a/ Y0 B3 x> Then he told the following story:
5 H7 g6 H" q3 h- ^/ ~! b/ E>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
( y0 R* t) S3 X3 J4 o: m> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
: H/ I( x- w8 v- r. B> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
# l  `0 K$ ~  a. P$ t* h1 |>
3 l% ^" V! v; n$ g/ z> 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
$ x# {3 u# R+ Q- K0 D6 d> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
9 S/ H/ ]& ^  h) g. ]>
> 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
/ h5 e2 [" E$ ~2 B, s* z! P' c> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
) n8 [5 n( c2 e: M5 ^9 J% y> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
1 {$ h* l) j& K; A9 U% U> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
) _7 Y% Y- Y4 h4 D> 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
" n! Z5 n4 M' E8 p2 p> 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
! o1 {" A  ^8 X. Q% N> next at bat.
" k) @& ]$ z. q+ ^' E>
: Z2 n2 X6 V  T$ g  Z# f> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
( Q8 I2 S) C( e, P> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
* w2 H/ n) e0 g. `# z& z; f- L> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, \2 {3 s) b- W4 `; Q> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
  b* e& w+ b$ r; F+ S" d> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
- {. h0 u9 i- R% b0 L> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
/ G) m& v1 ~8 [: Z> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
7 Q" h+ S. c% i" \  z> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 A* f0 U- m: T) o( y* C  [" ^0 ]> right back to the pitcher.
9 p- w( l6 I9 b  Z- V' c! L>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
" `, I6 ?) ?. U> 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 B1 H- b( d, g! h9 V( ]# r" L>
( Z7 j$ {' d1 H; y$ c4 o> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
$ V  I+ l$ [1 I( h* V$ E+ {> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
, u" w" {- u; p9 Y9 W# U> 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
" L% e! o; N9 V' j> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
* y9 _0 a% y( L  t+ n6 D> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
8 h" W- F7 a% X2 e. Z+ a: N> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
2 @5 X2 O* U  z3 d9 y  x0 N1 Y; z1 X> circled the bases toward home.
>
% \" n1 O! @+ B+ J9 O! j> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
: b0 c8 D  E9 ?; k/ ]9 j> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
' c9 Q8 ~' t! w> 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
& E4 i/ ?+ r# U3 ?! I8 A> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
* R6 h# D/ `5 J+ L> game for his team.
' B6 U: [4 \& k& R>
% t+ |3 I! r% L* X, T" c> '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
& D% _9 U% |; Y. Z) ?0 E" Q> into this world'.
0 A! C; h" E$ M5 J2 Z0 a>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 z$ P6 h- \' h. q" Q9 E: e> 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!
>
3 Y1 g( X. O+ _% f: m: m# P' `, f> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
5 [* \! b$ j# S% E5 G% _> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
6 m; g) _3 r. a, `+ A' \7 A/ q3 K> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
* U- o) K( {1 m% r> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
2 F* t. v" k% U  J7 l! P> 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
- V9 i' ]) m! l> '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
! U! E; e) A' w> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
8 h# L* W1 J1 O" X> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
! |3 y( l# W. k- X! f5 N( Q> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
8 C, d, v$ V" z/ x1 ~" B>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 a; R5 [: ~+ ?3 J. P4 M, e> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
" o% w. d1 l0 p> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
9 |" I) ]+ s0 U1 C>
: o' N  U9 k4 P3 Y- d> May your day, be a Shay Day.