Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
% F9 p( E% l- n4 T& N> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, ]1 ]6 M+ {; D' `9 f3 R; m> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> 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:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
" V- n2 I: Q5 Y9 x> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 v& O, K: ^7 B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
2 K( m1 h- m, V. J$ i* n  q0 p> The audience was stilled by the query.
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( @% E8 c7 q! T6 l* C: }. P9 q> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! h( o. F1 i8 b  G> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
4 W, y! X3 u* L% k1 V& t> 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
+ B3 f1 u2 a  `> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% B1 D; ]4 D. ]2 G& d  S; D& D> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
6 H; t" {) ^1 v7 A' U! }> inning.'
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+ C' M) v/ f1 x1 |> 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
" f, j7 j4 t% \" U1 u; `> 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
% [3 J6 p0 n; p& Q" Q3 ~> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
' G: z8 `* F7 n8 c$ l1 c0 B> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
% C; f; l& i. M> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
9 |2 v, Z( {5 ^7 O( d* f> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
- F4 b  h$ s0 Y5 j> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
! c! m4 G6 w1 \2 j% Q> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
8 T+ K. ]9 v4 f- h> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
2 v0 m8 f' x  [$ }! r  I# d> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
% c% e' t+ X. c1 Q+ }: W) h, N> much less connect with the ball.
% Z* P: g) i% ^- n  d4 Q* L, m> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
; |, a0 Y$ ]. B+ v4 [, q* {) x> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
# }6 ~' O8 n; ]& @5 ]> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
5 @. w& s" l/ K& a" \( Y> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
- g/ _4 O2 g3 S! U; V- b, h$ I> 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
9 e' B/ v- l) e5 w# D> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
1 `$ z) @  z$ p- w1 \> 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.
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, c9 f1 Y. a5 Y2 T, K* k0 }6 j> 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
/ G. a) a# a5 L' Z, O" _, k> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
5 b  u7 G2 N" @/ P7 y! p> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
/ z  B5 d/ Z6 V# A> wide-eyed and startled.
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4 L4 |5 z7 M/ [# s1 p: W> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) t$ Y% U1 o4 x* g3 M' Z: ^/ s; w8 @> 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
( Z" }* z3 a; P' u8 s! b1 j> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
: g, W6 ^6 u$ K6 B> 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!
1 I* I6 i& ?9 k& t' n> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
1 {$ ?& h" M4 q6 K  Y3 P3 V. |! t> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
; x1 c# |% v' \  {2 f5 f> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
4 |2 a/ X% r& O* E4 S> game for his team.
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> '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
> into this world'.
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> 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!
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8 g1 N, A* W& b> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
. j. Z7 k: e9 s, ~1 m> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
5 _+ Q/ ?/ ?9 |3 k7 I# F> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
. B+ R" ~4 v! o8 j) n2 Z- G) x> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
* Y4 m6 m1 N$ v3 r, F0 {2 |3 q0 {> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
6 L$ v# z8 E. p! S3 J! w' Y>
, X" a2 N8 T7 a> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% y1 V9 E- Y" Z/ d% E1 E) x> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
# H% t0 P! q. ]> 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
2 |4 t2 D! t6 d> 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 I5 G2 ^( {  A; [2 p> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% K+ U- |/ s) d5 Q8 f> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
/ I& A$ r4 H4 F7 x* J: H> 1. Delete
6 f9 R" o* Z1 S  `, I0 U1 h> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.