Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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- |' \& I9 h7 l/ y> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 R( d: z& M! j' k5 y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
* V- Y. m- O6 s+ B! X+ g> same choice?
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0 y4 Y1 V, q5 [' m& H> 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
9 z4 R/ a. V* H6 x7 z# j> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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! r1 f6 v+ z5 N6 Q> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
2 Y6 M* j" n: Y5 u) N7 P5 Y> 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
3 O8 E+ Q, d' y5 Y( W" E' e> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
$ e2 d9 d! ]2 H1 @3 L) q> Then he told the following story:
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8 ?( |; A1 o* `> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
4 C  b9 Z0 B3 Q) O> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
  e: r9 W8 S) o. m# g; u> 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,
> 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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0 T* y; k' e( D> 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
! i/ T2 X3 N8 U% x# _6 I+ M> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
: r+ p8 @8 `2 ?( m% R& h9 Z> 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
! k& D2 z0 v- D, C9 j4 T> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
" `* }' l9 v; J, Y- @3 Y> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
6 x0 ]3 r! \3 ~) A& d6 p! t3 R8 f> 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
> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
' J8 u! z0 b% ]4 c> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
2 ?( f: K/ s1 O" a1 M. [> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
7 R% n- @& u# M  ]> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
  T1 _+ i  T8 A) R; t/ C> 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
> 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.
>
> 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.
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> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
& G: R2 `1 A- Y2 f- u2 z9 B9 d6 ^> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
0 M2 F$ M( P1 f1 I> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
$ w4 b% k8 n2 j& }2 X( q$ R( \9 Y> 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
+ t- |5 f5 e- j. x2 c% c$ v4 E> 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
" p7 A1 I: q$ x4 Y> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
6 H6 f3 l% `+ r- W> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
% c' g) J7 T" \5 D2 @2 f$ h: D> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
7 S7 F$ |1 Y# c* R' i' J> 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!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" w5 z9 \3 h: M' b0 o> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
! c9 h+ N. W# z> 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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+ u. O8 Y! {  U% ?- x( \; y6 B> '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'.
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> 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!
>
> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 `+ u  \2 b7 i! P, t8 A5 k> 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
> 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
( `3 l& I  C; C6 k1 M> bit colder in the process?
>
& E: l% S) H! F5 H3 g5 [+ l5 E> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, P9 s8 W) v* N! m5 v7 _> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
) Q/ g3 w. j/ w/ S> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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& }( `3 x, M" l( v+ l6 n1 s> May your day, be a Shay Day.