Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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  a  r, |9 l  n4 n, c8 ]( W4 C> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 g1 H+ w0 Q/ S1 b' I; A5 `> 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,
# _& C! Z* X5 @6 t* j> 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:
>
+ t" s* I5 g. D& q$ v- L> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: }* J9 j$ n! p4 j9 L9 l: ?> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' N( n" t) ]$ i4 D' B> 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.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
0 E. M/ v2 \" ^1 p> 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.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
) o9 P0 X# h, Z2 @2 K5 K> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
4 X0 ~7 S6 o* G, _> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
' }* z) C% f$ n0 h1 n> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
3 V; [6 @: u5 \0 |( i4 b+ C& g> 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.
>
- l9 G) F% `7 d  k> 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
/ z& z* g* c6 O+ _& ^> 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
7 M. Y7 }: Z8 X3 X> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
6 U) i! m4 u  V2 T; M  ~% T> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
/ x! H9 k% i- n0 i- y: `" d3 o; J> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
8 J$ c/ a6 J, Y  i: A> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
; d- L# N- j9 E4 t4 u( ]> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, X9 V4 i: H+ M2 c" _7 [2 ~> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
7 `4 _/ |  G, B8 |0 L> 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
; o9 t- ~. ]2 s> 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
+ H9 h. [8 Y) ^. N# l0 N: r2 c' T> next at bat.
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+ N+ p) S! j! S> 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,
; e' C  I$ _: t  l> 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
: `1 e" ~, N& i/ }! v# y6 J> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
/ D& O0 m" ^* X8 J8 z6 ]* e- S> 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.
; G5 U, Q5 u& J. R3 x4 @5 j> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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5 ]7 X( f, l8 S% {+ h> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
$ d( R) [% [4 S5 y( x& B3 v> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
! I/ x% Z; T4 S8 J> 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
: C, }0 {# n5 b- n# }) x8 I' ?> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
5 \% i) U" X) Z, @+ A0 s4 s> wide-eyed and startled.
>
1 D# h2 F- @) B4 Q3 l> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
8 H; r9 W  Y, Y6 |> 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
) @( f/ A% N( A' e9 ^; B> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> 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
% r; V+ m6 q; J" d% L> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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4 H* V5 X4 `& D; h* |3 _> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
+ S' a/ [6 f; q& t$ W* Z1 A) d$ h> 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!
9 \. k: s; r0 e8 r> Shay, run to third!'
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% U3 e( I( k& t1 k' u; x> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
( S& V# y/ c7 J2 a> 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
8 R! i% V. e% t* @- [# ~' K> 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
- }: L( Z. O9 v* L1 O> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
2 `) T$ z: `3 f; ?% I) \" H1 A( p> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
" v9 S% J* C' W; N- K2 f> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
, s# R; b' i' F5 e> 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
/ J) a+ ?1 E: h9 d/ H> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
8 i( c* ~1 h% n5 v( S0 I> 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
% |5 o9 H/ Z) T7 N: k( r, N> 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 B. T) L4 R; K; |> bit colder in the process?
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) o  Q( j1 \) V& g> A wise man once said every society is judged by
( _! A0 D' d) O9 J> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
7 `. S8 f! v; T! l) i9 H5 A> You now have two choices:
, c( l$ G4 Z' z5 y> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
8 v& J1 m! _# n3 A! H- u5 S, _; `6 k> May your day, be a Shay Day.