Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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) P% d+ H% Y6 O0 [% B$ L  ]0 {> 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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/ z) F! ?+ G' z( f. U3 t> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 D0 F; r  C! J5 K6 A# R/ S$ h> 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
/ W6 S) ^: k( i+ K> natural order of things in my son?'
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7 v0 Z* T& ?: f3 Q- o> The audience was stilled by the query.
  E# e0 O3 }5 C4 V>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  b* C2 d6 q) m- Y$ B6 A& ~> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; k# c2 j# W3 u: P8 G> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
9 a  z; p$ ]. W. P* f  J> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
, K. \3 M) }1 C> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
: F! k8 J, V, _% E" P1 o1 {% y> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
! z  O" i: H# h9 X5 f1 B> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
& o8 |. B& Q3 }! A> inning.'
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9 y' t  J# F$ C& D  I8 P" {> 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
1 T5 N! Q4 c5 J1 V8 p( X% G' p6 }> 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
1 I  Q( i7 f7 R4 }1 W: h7 T& q7 a> 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
3 m; z/ K0 H" s8 m> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
$ v$ m$ y1 m% @> 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
9 W+ L9 J% U& g- X2 a> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
' A- X. m  c! P1 e6 b! j> 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
$ F3 \) a! E, Z& F+ b  j> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
/ U) \1 P' a; {2 W$ G5 a> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
0 ~( d  P& K2 V0 ~> 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% v  Y4 C1 i6 E> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ U/ a+ e7 s2 L8 Z% g0 J> 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.
>
' l3 p4 }* P3 }" x> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 U8 l9 }  H) T/ C7 l* }> 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
( A; g) j# M! E: y+ W6 t3 U' |> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
; ^7 V# D' @6 w5 V5 o> wide-eyed and startled.
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) Z$ B, y5 R# d) Q: j4 I8 T" f> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
  N( B& q/ f+ J- ]> 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
- g! X; Z* M% D* c> 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
7 b3 _: s& r( z> circled the bases toward home.
>
: I7 ^! E4 c' e7 h) r1 _% q> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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8 K/ ]/ L+ J7 ^2 F> 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!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
+ g: u2 Z: r- x> 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.
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+ n4 g! P1 S" E( x- U! x> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 f% b" n, @. f$ Q4 c> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
- i; C2 q1 |# @$ Y8 K8 e$ p> into this world'.
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2 a; ^- L/ L+ ~2 `3 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
) o* C' b1 m) U2 G> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
2 y, e* x+ A5 N3 D> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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- j/ F2 s- l" ]7 ~0 P> 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
) @2 O: j3 K- l2 V> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
2 N: o: c7 U* _2 t> 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
8 T+ j0 M4 b% Q> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
2 r. ~" O9 Q, R* E% E3 c0 g> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> 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.
>
% `# M0 U  s5 z8 p* w> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
' u5 M) q; T& ?) p0 @> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.