Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) ^: ~8 P2 s' A9 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,
; D5 m* k! ^; F' L> 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
% C, n0 y. A/ g5 C: t5 o8 S8 x> staff, he offered a question:
>
2 a& |! Z# H' ^8 o) G0 n7 H> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
1 C7 a8 {& z* ], r5 V* `> natural order of things in my son?'
>
3 w8 U! {# U) {. {+ w- `& q> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* S1 h0 J7 D" u> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
) Q4 I: f7 c2 @/ z  Z5 J, H9 e& `> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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4 o* t/ O; ~+ R2 H2 G# \> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
* H4 @2 x0 K" j% q> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
$ ?; H# p; S2 m# v/ F9 J> 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,
; n7 k5 v& |+ e# x- I7 ^4 y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
8 ~6 p9 h* E, g- A, R! B5 V: Q> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
" y2 D: a: ?( ]9 i6 |- i> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
2 V7 L, W( S" u> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
' H# ^) v* T7 C> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
# d: m" g0 T7 C1 ~0 Z! ]2 @> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
) r+ Q" i8 A8 C2 a> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> 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,
: R! V  m3 y% H> much less connect with the ball.
# @/ }. r" P9 C" j3 \> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: ?" r9 G# v  C' \* H> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
4 b; ?' y" i2 n8 t> 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.
- e' x+ l6 @: e5 u> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
; t; F0 R. q/ s$ N6 @> 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
> 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
8 b% P0 M- q. v> 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
1 j' y; b/ X8 f> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
  X8 L& K, X* V6 ?> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
" u7 s- ^% w! J5 P6 ?  U$ o  n> 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.
>
3 p: I  Z' A: i- P3 J> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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' s: E0 d0 z4 {% v> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  s  U/ `4 I6 k8 h7 I> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
7 q" ~; ?( ?8 I6 w> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 E5 L' z2 }5 r9 B> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
2 Y; I9 S/ E! P6 |3 K2 }* O& R> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
0 x# N' S) J- e' ?2 W> 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
* G) u9 _" Y% h6 R( e) F/ X5 W1 j; W> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
' O* Y4 h  C8 Q# b> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
) V8 j( B$ A: Q( D> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
3 X- m! ~7 S  |. W8 w4 Z: Y, [" S/ ?! l> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
7 e6 _, J8 b9 s8 |> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 L( Q! ^7 ~, G" B/ |( m> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
4 {  \% a9 l! m( y( g* A) Z$ E4 g> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
: X' g+ y4 _0 d* C. A4 a> 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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0 Q" Z' I9 X+ S2 H: f' ?. D> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- E! i4 X5 ~& l9 D5 ^% N> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
  k' m  t* ^" t$ s> 2. Forward
>
6 E3 L) j  j' c9 G2 n% B> May your day, be a Shay Day.