Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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. Q! D5 W( [6 M4 Q9 N+ j$ Q> 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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3 z) M* Z: A0 G) l" x) l+ U> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. g1 A8 D8 l( k7 [# o> 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
8 o  W+ t! @6 ?) ?0 q" D0 b> staff, he offered a question:
>
; I$ z# M: A7 e" Z  D> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
  c# H; x  l9 ]- @/ d- f5 d9 `% C> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
% D8 u; e6 a0 |0 E. J> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
; ]/ y6 J9 s0 C( U7 b9 X6 o* }> natural order of things in my son?'
>
! w0 y- y# V8 Y0 B- o) D. v1 c> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( Q! e% z! c5 s  x> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
+ e& p8 r4 |! D" M' h( k& k! {> Then he told the following story:
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: I! `, P; ^( [. Y> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
8 h; Q) \! Q  h8 X% q5 \> 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,
) a" o: {  P  T> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
4 `* u% J8 B/ A2 I>
> 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
> 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
( I. S& b. U- ?8 w/ C( y> inning.'
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> 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
  D- s/ m6 I- Q+ h> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
+ P2 G9 ?8 s$ I( x! W7 `> 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
4 J( `1 Q; j8 E! F> 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
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
# r7 H% ^9 o1 a! K0 M5 |4 j> 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,
! \/ s  Q$ e1 h> much less connect with the ball.
8 V( @2 E* h; g& j4 w7 \> 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
! J5 h5 s& F6 r6 {7 l> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
2 J9 n/ t& D( v* a; t! H> 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.
>
" V7 a* b' h  B+ v% o" G8 p- ?4 `> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 ]& e, d6 R- b  [" h: @( ^: I> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
: V  d( p+ X% W2 |1 d$ K* E* m  Y> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
$ T. l0 Y2 J+ N. b: p0 s. k> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
2 b& C+ }- Y6 [- t0 v9 M' d> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
% V$ Y- u0 E* t! o# g> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
& l7 r9 ]" L, [' \$ {% k> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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, i& @# }) Q4 \  I; Z> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
( `+ o/ f% n$ p( m5 w. e' 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
& U( }* L  u0 Z/ h) f> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
# F; C' ~$ m  L  ^. t) {> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
* E* `4 \" c1 D, J5 e> 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
$ \0 U# O$ n9 k5 O- F, F- 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
3 L; N4 F8 _; E* B3 ~+ N5 p' I5 k  z> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 z: a. X8 r; m" ^' C$ `> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
1 K9 i& f/ y$ F! W. A' c> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 z# ]9 @/ R" t: t5 ?> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
! O8 M4 Z- `8 K7 B> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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" k8 ~- S6 [- U0 s) b& X> 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
2 S( ?1 |0 a! y7 `2 h& f> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
5 ^/ o& |1 S  u$ h: Q4 G2 m6 Q8 a> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
% |" r; C/ l8 I> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
6 C) w  V* Q  [; d6 h> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: }& P. N4 |4 \7 U$ y3 ^> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
* k6 w4 Z7 A9 K  Z: o4 j+ s> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
* N9 }1 y3 g0 A# [6 N; P7 ~> 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
* W- y0 w( f0 r5 t3 o> 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
> bit colder in the process?
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. g9 x  C3 }7 k; d4 B1 k9 L$ @, n> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 r. X4 V, e" `) g6 I> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
. H0 q6 |, l) k3 Y> 2. Forward
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) G. G- b1 q  [1 E& M0 @  d/ @> May your day, be a Shay Day.