Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) }2 ], s2 @% G> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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; {' k: [) U% Y, U% A1 h3 u, c> 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
' x! b( P& f, m; P. g6 s> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
5 A. ]5 B2 _. p" p' a# t> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ N: d+ t  J0 V# F4 H8 {0 O> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 v/ o! x$ m& O( c% J> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
9 m% U5 J8 v) }+ U4 P4 j> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
( `$ [% `3 [3 d> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
' V) H1 d+ Y! y4 n  h" Z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
; ]+ E( D' D/ Q9 v$ n0 j> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
7 `3 V0 f+ s6 T7 W! f> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> 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 `% N  T7 t2 N8 _7 C> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
# Z0 i' |) t! c) \> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
* O; D# T8 Q. i) ?' c& |: r> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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$ E: d6 k; M. k& x. s& Z7 ~> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
. G9 r/ X# |5 l: f* a  \> 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
. i, \+ s  s9 q> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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9 y- g8 q8 U" {9 _: {' c) I> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 w# \+ v; o2 P; Q2 Z2 M, [/ X> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
) X- ]; {) w% o" P! O> 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
: `5 u& @4 G1 ?0 ]> 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
. @4 Q0 R- A! H; ^# F/ P2 O> 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( }8 t0 j9 V# y' P2 s> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
, D$ K3 o: n1 X# Q2 T+ M7 `> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
% ~* }7 j* v7 s$ _% P> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
, {& n, P+ ^& Y* g$ F> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
* q! u7 X( ?5 z, E5 q, e' U> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> 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
1 ?. J1 k  E( k- B4 g5 L> 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.
: X4 |5 A/ x; |& S: G7 i% X> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' n# X% {) s7 l> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' X6 b6 S- E4 x3 o4 {+ M> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
* u1 u5 N- t8 }: F, J8 ]> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
1 f# s+ K. {- x& }! ^> 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
# e4 x# E1 K' o% b7 T! }' D> 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,
* S# X/ d9 F; X, H> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 ^6 A, l0 u( ~4 F9 [' g5 S( k* S> 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
8 S6 _/ S+ k, e0 E+ P# @7 F9 }8 ^> 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
# \- e7 M7 y( p8 k' a2 U  ~> 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'
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- I0 O/ V7 f! j5 Q2 m9 g! M0 ~' l> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
, B8 n. ]* P  W1 M0 c0 |: V' v> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
5 u% B7 l! f2 M  p( e- G; V, O& u> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
% N- ~  Q  ?+ {- Q* p: \& J- `> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> 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'.
>
" q* `: ]" }% M5 `5 X> 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
+ y% _& z7 X+ @0 o5 g% F> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> 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
  u6 J8 k. e3 J% M6 y6 A> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- R' Y% N) t; P- C( K1 y$ Q0 q- P> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
/ z/ y/ n9 i' L- {' t/ N3 [> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
2 Y# y8 O) u8 G! w- b* k  E2 k> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% O! D9 S( Z6 V4 q> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; Q4 A9 Y$ `/ W! K1 ~; Y  n> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
( R4 i5 B, Z* _3 a! G. f> 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
> 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
, `# ?; p* Q* Y: p> bit colder in the process?
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9 W0 _9 w' X& {1 k6 `& Z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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8 j+ @) D" t+ X' k6 f) l7 a> You now have two choices:
1 h) \, a* J4 i% O0 e! i0 o8 V> 1. Delete
0 O. i" \) x3 |4 J/ ^2 q> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.