Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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: F8 n! ?! u( b5 m> 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
# F% `" a6 \. y3 Y> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
' z( ^3 r/ C% W8 F> 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
6 ~, m1 F& D- |7 B5 B, L> staff, he offered a question:
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2 T9 _  t5 K- _4 m0 W% O> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 z4 y, `' c. _4 A1 K# h> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 p' ]9 n# d; y8 d. Y* e4 P> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
" v$ [; [' b( S! [. [+ w1 z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& r7 ?' |- C& ?> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
" Y$ q5 j; ^: x! j9 l- k> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
( m+ U0 f1 s" X> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
7 g2 m! R/ ]1 \9 R8 W: [> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
+ v; y, D5 q" i" Q  Q> 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
% y* k; E4 ~* W+ E7 I5 O  w> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
$ X9 p" N( v! E) H; e4 ^> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- `  K9 B7 f- V! w/ `) P> 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
> inning.'
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. [9 ?1 E( h! N2 c" m+ A6 y> 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
/ D0 P6 v  w/ F4 u" a- o0 F> 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
4 L: M7 Q! H7 h8 G) w$ W' E7 Y> 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
7 m& _  ^9 u- e. o  h# D> 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
' f/ }# A5 i4 r" T> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
8 O1 T" U* V2 Z> next at bat.
>
; |* a3 u5 B: V/ x3 W- M$ }> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) Q* i: g$ M7 s& w6 I: c! Y- R> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
. m8 k7 H/ L/ n" l> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
: f: M+ M0 K" n: f* m  p: r" c> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
  P( ^0 I! t3 n2 l! L; a> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
+ ?3 c7 G8 C/ X- E> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
$ X. f# I- f! _% Q( t" r> 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.
4 U2 q; f+ u9 d: l> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
$ ?9 Y- D2 i, \1 R, e. v> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
; `% z/ a/ b: e% `3 I1 \6 ~% W* N> 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
> 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.
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$ x  D1 g0 S2 W$ S) n> 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
> 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
2 q* i9 x  a7 o& Q( _  k& p> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
) S: \: `3 u! }5 g: d6 P> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
- a# F8 J7 @3 \( r1 M" b. H> Shay, run to third!'
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- s) T1 H+ t& g8 V7 U/ v> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
. R6 V5 R) q0 o& l> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
0 u+ Z& M+ G+ _- `' w0 M' O2 N> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
- D3 Y) j$ s+ o: w- H> game for his team.
>
2 ~  m! ?: V9 ^8 p- G. @> '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
  U* l' N) S- A' r> into this world'.
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( C8 j! a0 ~) I4 c# A0 i4 }0 g- Z> 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
% j! ?+ W2 @9 J5 j+ u) k> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> 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
$ t% {& ?2 r4 y! f. P' V- z+ z) t0 f> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
& ~' ^* Q% i$ Z( y+ [* O# l> 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
- e  G) R4 T+ Y% g> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
( F- ]; ^9 n; y0 [4 |" Y" I& a> '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
. E6 V0 R  E0 G2 J. G" q> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
> 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
  b+ Y8 h9 v5 J: p! r2 }# B) q9 j> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
2 [/ O4 H  ?8 S7 X: e" u& Z5 M> You now have two choices:
: z" E+ L- B. g* _( c> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
1 g' Z! }# K* u> May your day, be a Shay Day.