Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
. J; u0 j0 \: q' T4 j> 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
) C) ^# I) g8 g* v7 t> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
2 Y" c" y: y3 i4 M( n' q* Q& \$ j> 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
8 L$ N( i! I8 e3 h> staff, he offered a question:
>
9 [7 Z2 F( Y, L7 |$ s8 F5 m> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
" z6 ~5 V; E$ Y) u% Y" m& @  u4 W> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
" R2 V3 g) q( s9 o> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
) F/ v: F6 f" b: \0 o' T> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 d4 J+ F# W6 d* u4 K4 l> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
, {! d! K% s$ ]>
> Then he told the following story:
>
2 j& f# c5 G0 z, Z/ ?9 L> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ y1 M( f% p6 Q4 o# f9 }> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
5 v8 E" I/ G( V. K+ o% F; @( ?3 F, g> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
1 j* v1 J9 V- @3 u> 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
' J# |4 v# S. `9 l+ D7 i" S> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
  O" H0 o) ~! R' m5 h5 t>
> 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
3 j! _6 Q  c) X( h9 T- L* P6 C  w$ U> 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.'
  I# ^" q" z- ?" p4 [>
5 n  r* V# ]% _> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
2 y6 [  ?, D: \( X* o/ s> 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
" p& ?& c# ?8 w  C5 t6 X1 j> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
' o2 w& y  |6 [> 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.
>
  a5 a, b+ K+ ]" B> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
5 \$ _" k9 `- W> 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,
6 V1 t9 U, `% a$ Y- v> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, l2 V1 U  O9 i; o' H( T  @> 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.
. [% y- ?, H8 t4 K: D6 p3 [> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) t1 J' r& |$ o/ b% M/ c3 m> right back to the pitcher.
>
( F+ {, ^+ L  M* G> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 y+ Z8 ^4 E5 P0 X> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
9 [$ L# M& c# w> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* J/ R! L" \7 O  J' _0 V1 d7 o> 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
( F& y! i' U+ @5 t$ [> 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
> 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
% G$ e8 v* ^0 a& X7 f$ D* y> 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
2 E9 P- E) C3 T9 t> 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
* D  y/ }6 F# k4 _1 ~" d> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
. b$ c3 Q5 f, F0 G+ s> Shay, run to third!'
) t) c; n3 v0 P1 u5 h>
9 `/ T3 {. J; r* w0 F> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
/ P. @1 p* l- O: J/ Y> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
# j5 U4 O0 P$ W7 A> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
: w5 ?7 @2 n3 E6 ~" f# j: S% n>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 I2 A# z. r4 J. G> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
& L6 {/ y; n0 F' h3 m3 g> 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!
  T( w5 x' I" G8 G. I! p+ ]3 D. J>
/ q5 C; G) H4 {& p1 O( H> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
: V/ `3 L# }& T5 Q2 b> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
, X( m( `4 v; C2 X> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
( y. a! @! |; U# A, a0 }/ `0 g$ }> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
) m7 I9 W/ b. }2 M>
, X" R& X& S, T% }$ N# P2 K> 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
# {$ Z" v$ d$ T4 o9 y9 X> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
* i6 O: F. w# k4 U9 }  v) {5 }5 _; c) M> 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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
1 y. C  o+ F- ~* L+ r' F> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
# [. D+ G6 g  p0 d# G  y4 l  u; h> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
; z1 z, B/ e9 V/ N> bit colder in the process?
>
4 K7 D' G. d9 q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
. h! u' s8 c  C. S' }, U> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
6 Y6 i/ r1 F0 M  x- o>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
, M6 m3 ^* d" A$ k0 ]0 Q! M> 2. Forward
8 {* X* J# M0 m. ~1 G6 d" P>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.