Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
' `! W- d# R! F, @8 k0 b& O8 i> 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?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
7 {1 a; v8 T; d8 D> 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
+ _" N3 n! I! L% V9 I> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ m% O; ]( K6 B> '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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
$ ]1 g& U2 e5 b$ {  Z, [( A>
* Y8 h5 M* q# h> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
5 Y7 L, Q+ W9 h8 A+ W9 _1 u2 X> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 m: p9 S& H+ g> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
6 F& }3 V/ H* @>
> Then he told the following story:
7 T; b6 j/ |/ I3 i>
: m9 d# H- K8 k4 o> 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
7 `* g2 Y# S) z> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
" t3 j3 P  ~7 n. U* z+ ~> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% H' ?6 I7 I" ^# o) B# [2 U% e> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
3 {5 y( j; M3 T8 H4 P; H( M$ v> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
8 ~/ g$ U: Y) }: W3 b> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
; N# @/ {: Z- w2 {1 O  d> 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
) C1 @/ K9 \/ c  k7 o( h> inning.'
7 {( m, d8 u$ ?. ]>
: x% `! j: ?8 O* J( L# X% q- `> 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
- v$ l4 a8 G$ }> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
- n5 e1 Z9 r; k> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
# e1 r( }  B- S7 {; S> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
6 i' w# Y# I: o. ^> 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
9 ]/ @+ T# G  `/ M> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
) W! V4 p8 J* F, K' s  O> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
) c. l: a- O% V! `+ x5 ^> next at bat.
>
! k1 y0 r% O. L> 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,
& x6 k  y$ v9 X! ]5 t> 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
+ P/ Q- X6 F/ X> 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
! t. b3 p, e0 \" q  w7 o0 E> right back to the pitcher.
- C  c! `& C) N  O! x& p4 T0 b>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
; H- h7 `# n3 p2 R2 `> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
, B* ~5 o4 T: A6 ~, s> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
( L) s4 K. l$ G$ y- K> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
6 n" C: u8 Q3 Y+ d3 t7 ^& [. U> 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
4 ^" G8 @: V! k# m& f> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
: C4 o" i  j- J> wide-eyed and startled.
>
: l$ O( d- U2 R# K6 S; C> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
, U6 r& ^, C/ A) N+ b9 Q- C7 b> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) S7 n% ~6 h3 A  @> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
* d4 r6 X# q) b> 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 U7 ]! N: [2 K+ x- f> 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
! X/ i/ T7 m. M+ _2 B5 ~% c1 u+ R/ |> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
1 P: K) A5 J5 j( t; {> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
) K4 r9 E5 X( s5 |. L>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
/ f3 z) R2 _  k4 a7 q, a> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
* S6 m6 z! |, M% l- }>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
3 V% u" q" }! s2 @1 B> 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
- m& b- l! F1 |> game for his team.
$ v5 r* h" I; G  y# l3 Q3 }>
( a1 N1 s3 j7 L! n4 q> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
) j7 j# T+ f) g: |> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
- c0 N  m6 j; E  g7 M6 [> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
. n5 G& E! }8 S; K* \! L> 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!
. ~3 L/ c2 S1 l, ]>
> 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
" ~$ ?6 ~" g, d* E# w> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
! `( D' k$ L6 z> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
. ]9 y& D4 O, U( `( X& j9 k$ |2 n> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
1 [* b/ M4 b# V2 j> '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
8 u( P" M! Z1 |9 D5 ?> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
* f+ h* t: Z( G6 a, i>
& {/ t: l9 _3 x> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 j  ~2 j+ J# G1 a- h: V> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.