Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. N9 a2 Q9 }) G9 S+ {> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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2 b4 u% f" z& I$ b8 j9 a4 |% \> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
0 y7 u* G/ H. J$ f) z1 K> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
! S, i0 p; n( m( @& x/ k+ d> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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$ m# B, }4 Z( I. w3 ?# l> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) Z$ P2 m5 |  R; M& \- F1 L> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
9 F; s# M8 I9 R6 X- h: r1 [$ X> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
6 w" K6 _, C4 r$ K> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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& ?# B) N. [' D0 F* I> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 @- p9 k: f$ Q, T/ l! d; G> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
4 |* H8 E) R$ G! Z- w: S: A; d5 w" ?> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
1 w" ~( v5 w: l8 e5 C! u> treat that child.'
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* M) F  B! S( A% e- J> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
> 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,
/ ^8 _8 K3 X. e> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
& @% y1 z( T( a+ m/ t0 R6 ~3 h5 Z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
% I% X0 J$ ?6 S4 x3 s0 S> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
% T2 f; g& ^5 i' ^! U- k+ J0 u( Q) E> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 S" _0 }8 W1 S5 Q% Y+ M> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
. B9 B8 ], Q2 z- f  G% x! @> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
# L# n4 o# H( y> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. Q1 x# o3 p. A6 H1 \! M. u) ~> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
+ q' ^0 F- i. n: |* C& Y/ b> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
! ?+ R4 K/ {# q* K& G2 M> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
0 F+ l2 J9 w. M> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
5 e- G- b' e5 w! ~: ]> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
! D* ~: g( W3 ]8 ^> 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
9 f7 ?8 W5 @2 C6 y1 z+ l" }/ T> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
3 [7 s3 ]! Z) J; |: S8 T* S. Z> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
% n9 p+ q( a0 V7 j1 i5 m> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ U3 G* U$ I9 `3 A9 |> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
, Z  k3 v# T) B& h1 C6 o5 p> 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
3 z( C# X* l  D1 L% |% J> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
$ K( I3 b, ^% H% v  O* w> 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 H6 Y" [% G: p) U8 }/ @) M* a> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
2 G' H0 B  |$ k- ]2 z1 z; k9 p> 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.
>
> 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
  C7 f2 y6 n' O  a0 K> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
9 M1 g6 Y# F- z: F4 _  D> 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
> 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
% `" E$ F7 c% ?> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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- z6 s" s4 z3 D( m! ]( d' g2 h: V$ z* |> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" |6 g" Z3 Z; A! n. u+ x> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
3 o6 J( G* c+ x/ L$ ~> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
> 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
. e% ~1 f, _5 q1 Z+ `" H& ], T> 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!
>
/ _6 e) Q5 P/ N8 y9 m" {' B> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
! {+ i* \! t0 }9 @  E> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
: Y! C" v) F+ O/ g( \> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
: _* ~! o$ T$ h8 V7 ^> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
9 K# q7 w+ F& W5 f> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
0 l9 `! {- ?$ ]' \; c> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
5 a1 T6 }1 n* }6 b5 S# }> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
( E8 c4 M" F- u1 X> 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
% S$ k9 P" A( D' E1 K> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
4 J. A0 ?9 f) Y1 l# l" t& h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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. b( W  P- t$ ~! y& u0 i> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
- \) o  L) o7 A9 a: [( v1 _> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.