Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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2 S6 Y5 S# E  |/ l> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ l' u& \% T$ x> 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,
5 Z, M( A8 b2 D$ h> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
) R) X# @1 d/ Y3 j1 D- l> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
9 L6 {2 \9 y) x' R6 G> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
( x6 O' P  n  p2 P> 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
4 p$ V6 ]. f6 F' v* o+ D% u> natural order of things in my son?'
>
% s3 w0 f% U) X2 c0 j9 O> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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. {% X# q* G+ k1 X& H> Then he told the following story:
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: U: V) B3 v! D" J* ^: g, N> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' I* H% Z* ]( e) I( v> 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
5 o9 e* f- [& t  O$ _! `0 ~& L; E> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
6 x3 D3 s  i, l" _1 {& m> 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
9 }0 P  a( u" q. X8 K. c3 r- ~- S> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
' X6 ~9 c) \- @  M5 ~. L/ B% [> inning.'
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. |+ ]6 O  @. q' \' U> 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
8 l( y1 Q* J' _/ \( K  y6 {> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
. n! ^7 n. u: t3 {) P4 e, P> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
$ a3 K$ V0 M" V7 n+ t> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
3 {4 {6 Y* V' L+ [> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
3 h$ d& w- Q1 t; t. P- B" G> 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
( F" G2 S) M  K8 f> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
; ~' @: t4 Q, z4 Z2 B> 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
8 ^$ p# d; R2 D3 p> 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.
: t0 X1 S/ i5 C1 g" {> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) O3 {$ `/ k$ K3 ]0 ]+ d6 f> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
6 N% |3 }3 ?' e. O2 D> 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
, R+ n% @' u$ x; W* Z. m7 c> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
# X  `: \0 b' l% g5 }> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
$ I" l8 V( V2 s" E' m> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
# D) K/ u# }: t# s, t> circled the bases toward home.
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3 N8 q4 E) g) R( O6 v3 l$ y> 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
) }0 R: R% ~- Z7 b  T* s/ c+ W! e> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
1 A; ^6 _0 I0 G3 K! w! w> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 V6 R' e8 q4 P1 c> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
3 i  u; b3 D+ G1 b+ w- D> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
! p2 \7 a* L3 C> game for his team.
>
5 y& u+ @8 X6 F' E> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
9 `' |5 t, X& _% [7 h! l> '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
4 I/ r& y. m. Z; K2 X> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
  f- K# J4 n! I> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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# P0 G. q' p% A> 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
3 `; T5 F5 ]' v# z7 N- U: {> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
: z% C/ R6 }1 ], r9 C5 Z> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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5 R$ ]2 ^; b) ^2 A- a3 k> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
/ R) U% R% I; z8 V* V> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
$ y9 k6 Y3 u2 [: _$ ~> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
" O! U: M6 |' K9 b> 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
) x( H$ L* n+ L. Q! U2 W> 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
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
" V) U) b3 p1 }( L# d> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.