Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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. _8 n/ B1 ?( t6 G> 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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4 q( V4 y) C2 l7 S, R. C5 B> 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
! Q6 j7 |" r$ ~, w" D3 c> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 @$ u( A8 j6 w7 ?4 b7 |> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
) P% B6 K. S. X6 S> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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
3 a& b* m  M  C, E+ j> treat that child.'
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3 S5 U" p4 I. v; h! o7 {/ [> Then he told the following story:
>
% `$ J9 g+ h( H% M7 M& T> 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
( o& \9 h2 l, \8 C/ J7 }7 l> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
5 W; z( g6 }. X, M> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
' k% R6 i$ I' ?> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' N- g5 O7 W' D7 h5 G, R> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
- \/ F7 l6 d- [# O' v& Q> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
# X( F# y5 _6 y7 k/ p5 W2 y2 [  `> 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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: Z' P5 j- Q/ |% _1 G6 a3 T. i> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ T% _$ @% _3 Y- P" F8 k> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
- o3 H2 V& q7 Z  l> 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
. w- x3 q9 ~4 d# X2 r* D> 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
6 S3 H* {0 {3 ~4 ?9 d> 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
$ S# b- O. k4 b( e5 P( G> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
. L# S, C) F8 I' q! D) ?> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) b4 J- d* \/ T$ T; \1 x> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
# t9 o5 X! \) l& y- S- \6 |* U1 Y> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
! D. {3 l, s; z# H, N> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
' T* {. M: q8 N( K# X- |> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
) W( @% P  D- x7 z> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
( v9 ]' k% W+ w> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
5 E- _2 W. n" Y. W0 |0 z' f> 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
7 @: }% U4 e# z0 t$ I" O) x> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
$ \7 K3 f" i, C4 \7 T> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
5 W2 H0 C+ b& 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,
' L/ R& m2 K7 R3 X0 \+ V) I0 k> wide-eyed and startled.
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0 @9 u" g2 `( }* [> 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
" l! `" K4 N4 X" S; l6 f; J> 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,
0 {9 y/ L, T0 U  W> 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
" U6 x* t0 S) w* S> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
& p" j* C: u( P, h+ _> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" p; {! v/ m# x$ y( k3 {  E, l0 ?" z0 c> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
8 L' f( v8 U% S" N1 r9 }/ b> 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
3 a' \% q* h4 T! U> game for his team.
>
1 g* ?& ]6 O8 E- c% O7 j7 a> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
' K  N  Q; n' W9 G; z> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
/ W  T4 Z4 P. [+ e, g; }> 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
$ ^* C. |5 R; ]& @" f> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
" C0 E9 s7 F: l9 Z2 C> 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
* a2 u1 _, z. }/ P8 K* x# m- }> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
; r& G  X$ n8 x& p8 J4 q7 g> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
0 R' Q7 e8 b; o# [; Z> 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
; p8 S6 [9 r0 I' @) p5 G" ]& r- f2 k> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 I# ~8 h8 l* Z> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
- H* g' t& y, N* u$ z; @& |6 c) _1 j> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
" w+ {1 S- Z9 B% r5 g+ [> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
3 w' S# y# ~6 m3 \> You now have two choices:
1 F7 y& j" X% l/ {, z3 n> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
( r( A" z" L1 ]7 E5 \0 U> May your day, be a Shay Day.