Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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$ O/ }+ t) I+ a" w" w4 j- a7 {  r; ^> 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
> same choice?
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' n! M5 P3 `  g' j& G% f/ K> 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
0 q* d( }( p. l: M* A5 C> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 d8 v. u( c( E6 s2 U8 D  e5 _> 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
" J3 j$ a; O7 M  q  X% v' C> natural order of things in my son?'
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4 {8 P7 W& p8 P7 c# }5 W# h4 ^> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% [2 _' \1 |8 D9 f# e" g> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 z: C3 f; {% A> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
6 S  i2 N8 R" n5 O  Q* s. n> 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
/ r1 Z" A+ q0 ?4 N" Y> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
! O# v; T! ~& y0 h: e7 v5 X> 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.
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> 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
9 h: v8 x8 v' q, u, U2 ^> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
- b8 h5 D6 p! ~7 W3 a4 E> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
  _% O; ~  I+ c) ~( G> inning.'
>
> 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
> 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
3 ]- K8 i7 h+ S4 Y3 Q5 c5 r> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
' i. Q3 h2 U" a4 o> 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
1 X# ~$ V% F! K> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
% @8 |% Z5 E- D' Q6 I> next at bat.
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> 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
! p1 C6 a8 C& E> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
/ u5 [$ A6 I, u> much less connect with the ball.
/ o: D" w$ l( m7 M$ i> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 L3 P6 u/ F) ~2 j> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
- a8 H2 N- E1 F" v, q> 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.
4 z" J5 `# @0 \> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
+ V" ^' T$ c& [1 e> right back to the pitcher.
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2 F  R8 [( J+ D( |( s/ A9 Y> 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
& }# e/ C* P7 i4 x4 W> 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
- G6 q. P& {1 P% \" j. {> 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.
>
3 x; a( m( \% z/ r% f; U> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 X8 h; B7 P% v. h( G0 l> 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
# ]" Y( t, _$ ]/ A3 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
0 x! u$ @# C# ]. p5 ~5 a$ H> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
; U2 N; c7 ^8 c" Y. R> 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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> 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!'
>
- Y, l% a$ S' z" }2 r1 C, M> 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
1 t& j1 e4 X& q6 d. l> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" J, s" Z9 A$ ^> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
! p3 m# E/ r4 f* B; E> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 M6 L! w" M/ g> 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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% g* U( ]4 A' t, y/ s; R> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
. i$ f: b2 r9 W7 w& m* H> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
2 k0 w# A  l3 D, e% X> 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.
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> 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
5 [: |/ p! Z" g> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
4 H0 y3 H. R) K( C+ w; V, |> 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
, b0 b; C4 v( ?- [1 v7 A2 h% D> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 i$ D- U: e( h0 R$ D3 E( \> 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
/ N9 U5 b' d0 J) N: |" K9 J/ ~> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 _) A! o1 c$ c0 j2 r  i> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.