Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
, b- p( t2 v. `2 y- t> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! e5 b$ N' N8 n& I% D3 j3 ?# `> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
> 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:
>
  o# p; J4 l2 ~> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# Q" @- n' z0 B4 E% y# G! {6 ]> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' r1 R! J8 K2 l4 L0 ^$ R/ d> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
) B0 h* ]. {0 L3 p7 w> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# d. l5 k4 }0 o/ U$ u> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
6 v* b: [+ R  @: K> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
9 f6 S( K; h* E: ]9 B2 N> Then he told the following story:
>
. O+ C* b2 K, n" M& p> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 J- H) q& c  W" V$ k& O6 Z> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
) N+ f4 H8 z6 O> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
( }2 K1 b5 `0 i7 Z  |8 Z9 [> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
7 }3 u5 O% L# v( j> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
; H( C- p2 D' Y0 a9 B>
> 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
& _1 G2 T9 B% G1 p) y> 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
- F" w/ [7 t; Q3 f4 b> inning.'
$ n1 H) C, N+ O. |+ j9 A) h2 ~>
$ W& v' V  g% Y& ~; Q1 T$ X> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% }5 g, k( @& `& t! o2 O$ R> 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
9 C( \8 A/ u: ?) k! {$ 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
: |9 q! \* h3 O, Z0 p1 Q  ]) Y6 F5 S> 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
& Q1 s  g* A9 }% F3 E* [$ C> next at bat.
3 A  q0 J, }  b# K' A>
5 \! Y. H/ E# K4 o  e. R> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  L( b! O/ Q) i, M- o9 d> 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.
7 f3 W/ s8 X5 q; \* }: T& @; g> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
' _) K! V1 h5 f' E+ x> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
! i: o6 A2 j4 R1 X: }. ]> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
3 y$ \6 i6 L2 l7 |4 R0 U4 l% c> 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
  ]- L, i' W; A+ I8 X8 n- e> right back to the pitcher.
>
! J: l' W+ E$ L* D, W> 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
# l; z& r; d4 N) \# D, Q> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
" k2 R1 j6 r2 ]" y* K2 U# q> 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
0 b  }; f/ p* a3 P8 e/ g> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
; z6 g; M. D% C& O' X6 n& i> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
* E7 i$ ^% g4 P> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
% r: K# P3 [7 U, k$ v: {; {> 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
& ?0 |& x$ S9 \* s" Z) k% f> 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,
9 ~. P1 d1 s  e$ t> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
+ V  B, W$ B9 A" R0 t/ Z# l- I0 V> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
! ^. B; r0 d8 s  ~# j4 @5 w% G>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
. j: @; n" ~. p; Y$ |  T$ i> 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!'
>
& z4 x( O  w" k/ x) B0 V8 c> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
( H+ O+ L- y4 z9 q6 d1 H8 }> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
, K9 U, J6 w) ~  s> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
9 \, Q6 H8 N1 V9 k> game for his team.
8 n4 o7 ]' _7 x1 [, J>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
! L9 o7 t7 h* O' H- g7 t> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
0 K( @8 `0 [8 Y. P> 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!
>
: Q# }* _- ^0 \0 y- B' W9 K> 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
2 Q! W" L  a; u3 {> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
, r; O! M! q* y) M2 L. t> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
1 G" M5 [& s+ p' z  I7 y>
9 y  ~8 S& h4 \- V- c. y7 z> 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
2 m% m3 T% |9 H7 z% C$ I$ G> '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
. ]; H1 O/ J) P2 E9 m! L% B/ s% d> 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
( B/ j, ^. U. b  Y$ z, K& ?% l> bit colder in the process?
>
( F" Z8 s8 `4 E% D: J4 W> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 `6 N( i# h5 Z" F, F6 ]> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
. Y' l% A. X  |% @0 e> You now have two choices:
" ]2 @7 o7 z/ B. u' r: C& F> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
+ T1 Y% u; w) z* n3 H>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.