Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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7 J$ d$ l6 ~$ a- L: L> 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
# ?$ {( K' |! u- ?1 u0 P> 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
. n( g; i' V3 T* A+ a1 W; q: O+ F> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
; X4 R; c$ f, X2 f: Z/ s> staff, he offered a question:
>
% N2 n; e0 y$ Q' a! J) `> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
. X/ y  Q/ |  ^( {! @$ q: T> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
  l! R0 ~1 L8 o7 U7 V* r> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
5 b$ V% ?+ V8 V+ j8 o; X> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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5 b1 z+ K2 g; C> 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.'
>
> 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
> 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
0 T: w* V; t2 B" H+ s/ b! y) i2 c1 z# U> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
  O$ r2 Z; f6 p7 |2 n( w& W> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
" u8 H: m$ n, i> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# ~" ~7 T. h" H" V- g> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
0 @8 Y& j6 V+ L> 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
7 Y4 u+ A: m7 C) w> inning.'
>
, H2 C  ~8 j' G1 ]0 R. M% W" _> 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
- b; W) s* b* O) a0 {: _> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
4 H! m' ]' v- X8 a- A! M3 L> 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
5 ~4 K' H. `' r" z8 e1 E" d, K> 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
+ F  H! u! A8 G, t7 z; J2 }3 }> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% W1 \  v2 [, O> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
7 p3 H' P8 @) m- T$ O. d% L> next at bat.
>
) {0 L( Z& |# u, w3 |( M> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
2 [, X! @5 ?/ D7 y' ^> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
3 u8 B( s5 }' g4 z8 d5 c1 e> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
& S2 `7 ~- q: X, S9 _> much less connect with the ball.
- \# i: k2 ^) H> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
- q- a- y' u; m" t" @* `; O> 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
3 o. y7 r8 d+ W0 O> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
, V  w) F& |; i; B; ^# f# N> right back to the pitcher.
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" s# \+ W, H" _: e! N> 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.
>
3 u' c' Z6 ?( [. j; j. w> 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
; ~7 F2 ]' x) W& X2 L7 Q> 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,
$ ]' z" S* e$ j9 j2 E- b> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
& _7 m- ?) |; R) E! J6 n9 C6 C+ k> 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
. Z# v' L( a% w> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 ?' N( `9 f5 a* D> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
; x6 N0 T8 e# x0 f" G4 Y> 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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) s* H& |( E3 Q; z> 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!
. [8 [0 w0 p& Q$ C( _% [! b> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ @, f# }* v1 {/ t' s9 Q> 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
> game for his team.
>
> '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
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( a* h- k1 w7 s> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) L1 w8 ?& F! S  R; c2 v> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
& s! I+ i$ W8 x# x$ }> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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. K( [# {- i/ m* f> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
0 o  t5 t4 `. {* V3 T8 C, G> 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
$ J# z% J2 A* A* b7 R/ Z" s- S> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
! Y8 C$ T2 l: _4 D0 t> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
3 M. f) K6 j& a" y> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
" f7 T2 t& K. \6 M7 Y> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
3 [8 k2 y: t! _) y> 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
1 j* ?, ^- ?; R" E> 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.
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! W+ Y9 ?" L$ Q, q) a8 O> You now have two choices:
# L' p* D% C# [> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.