Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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5 t- l2 t' Y. j8 ~, k3 n) w> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; q; E8 w# f  g* d$ d' L" M- k> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
2 h) e! |+ t8 g% }% B> 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
) S5 `8 _6 @5 d6 T$ G: I> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
& W( O% _/ t# j; A" r> staff, he offered a question:
6 I5 W& S/ p1 C% H2 a>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
: X( E; H" D* W/ g# e> natural order of things in my son?'
>
. Y0 M; i( d8 C/ c+ y> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
7 }& k' M- b7 Y9 c+ s: A- f, u& x. D> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
/ G& c& b' O  ~% J  d> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
+ C9 U" v( w1 _" l7 y5 k+ H> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
- D  q- b1 N3 ~- ^# F0 w> 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 E' P* z2 f) L$ A7 B+ s, C5 M- f> 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
4 y2 t! [- a9 l5 d0 S3 ^$ S> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
& y4 n- V0 m( L/ M6 j  H# r, c> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( b% V; h; Q3 f( X4 e9 A( W> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
; Q9 s& }' A5 O# \2 e: P- _> 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
> inning.'
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& @8 B8 {4 K5 z> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
, l) O% ~4 N, I" S9 \> 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
  g& n- ?! M, `5 b6 \4 |3 e> 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
& ^7 U  L) K2 u& 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
" J3 c3 @9 ]+ d3 @7 E6 F* R> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
' Z& _3 @8 y. ?, ^) Q> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
# m2 L9 w$ X. n4 d> next at bat.
>
> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
6 D9 |+ D, X8 S> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 J0 X. X* r3 [, e- o" W5 ~3 U> 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
  ^0 t. j. W7 t" p- Q! l. E0 n> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
/ y) ?6 h$ q+ K9 i5 G* a> 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
) g' c7 r+ T, O( `> 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
" O* ~- Q& }0 g2 G  C  t> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
9 ]# g  R- X2 n1 M> wide-eyed and startled.
>
6 J+ F9 f( s4 k5 C- t+ B$ n> 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' k/ z0 S$ I> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
# G3 C& A. F0 z8 g6 |6 M' ]' M+ Q> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
, J4 S$ J  a9 S+ U> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
6 }6 n5 z/ Q( V6 M5 l0 J5 i. Q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
# k  {3 p6 s2 W> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
5 H! }. f! {# {7 ]8 b5 j/ v> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
1 A" I, q+ p: b> game for his team.
2 \" L: A9 F# `>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
7 [+ F2 E& o* M' S; v$ M3 B> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
1 q- w" Y5 |: I6 I> into this world'.
>
> 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
> 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
1 I" u& r( \8 k8 {+ m6 \> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
/ f) x; x$ G; t0 ^> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
/ ?: Q2 \! _$ J> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
; D3 @% Q5 X4 b# t& m- H>
0 Z/ h8 A4 V2 c$ e! M2 h5 F0 R( V4 x> 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
; Q$ s" r. U& z6 f; l> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
$ F% S5 \9 G$ A) 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
+ R) [. {6 T3 E& V( p/ M> 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
, _. x9 M$ y( H3 K> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
+ c' m1 V/ Q6 ?9 r* w>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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5 t6 ^( n3 Q9 i* ~5 Y1 Q+ O> You now have two choices:
5 @( E6 L4 T0 ^; w6 d3 V> 1. Delete
4 }- a$ p: u3 {2 P  h. T# G2 ~9 ?0 K> 2. Forward
>
9 y4 x  o, l: I7 C: }; a; C> May your day, be a Shay Day.