Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
- O- O7 a9 X' s( d* M> 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?
>
3 |! z7 i+ S, j% k' o% {& R> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
& X; Q' l) x& |$ j> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 H) e# L: D% u" F4 u  E6 i/ e> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
. k7 j6 n: O5 v% D3 g) r> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 l  f0 M$ l. s- b( j+ w! K3 _> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
1 o+ s: Q( \4 |. X: _2 F>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 H0 j* P/ u8 f4 }0 U; C. w1 H9 i" t> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
9 B9 s- a& v! {8 x% g% l>
> Then he told the following story:
>
( {) S2 H$ {+ M5 R4 K7 N> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 g" e, b# d) L> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
7 M4 x3 `- `; L* Z! L> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
# a, A, ?) \6 X/ j9 o5 ~" U> 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.
) o% @' y8 x$ c' y# L>
> 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
> inning.'
5 h. a, j  |* q4 G>
> 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
+ Q: N0 v( {, E0 d+ ]+ g+ s> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
2 R9 P5 C7 r  [8 q> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
1 _$ A& ?' g0 A1 y/ \4 o( L> 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
> 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
7 W' E& c) }8 S% \' ^3 i' h* B> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
4 ?' r' ]! t7 i" w9 J5 S, `% H> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
; S2 I+ B% c" o) z( u> next at bat.
>
5 s( [9 X+ p% B. ~5 }) N- M> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ i& O1 J7 t0 o! b> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
. P0 Y- |* c1 ^1 G7 `> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
0 J3 Q% ]2 g6 N4 P: I& o> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
" ~$ {+ o& |; M> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
% |& x% O# o; R3 |# k) {9 D) r/ x> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
( J+ e, A6 g+ c! G, M8 P' q) l> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
5 k! b( F( R% Y" y9 A8 d& s6 s> 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.
" q8 @8 g. d% D% E>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 j& T5 S6 n- Z- ?* q7 p> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
1 R. j) A: \/ v- b) Q4 E> out and that would have been the end of the game.
! r9 t' Z+ U9 ^>
: @, m4 V4 z0 V0 B6 }> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ l2 s" E" A& I* {. V, i) u+ u> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
! K: g! F7 i; Z! ~( b* e> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
' }4 k9 a% W. y+ [> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
: S9 G" W) y: d7 W$ A" l( u* p> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
9 P& k; i/ K+ K3 e7 {> 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
> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
: H# o9 @$ ?. s% a/ Q> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
# D) A! n- F7 F3 {> 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!'
>
0 S3 s0 V# [; y0 V- \. x> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, _- v; ]! c1 U5 ^> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
1 C6 ~5 ?, k" z$ v> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
: p* J4 G3 K! b% e* f( v9 O# O>
2 e, \0 K' ?/ X! r8 }) }> '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'.
, h( y8 o0 G- }8 Q! Y>
> 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!
* j; v  b/ W  H' J9 r>
4 l. i  Y2 Y* Y& K> 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
1 A2 T6 K# F3 B> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
4 }0 q7 K5 O4 N0 B7 k> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
1 F& E4 d- [- |2 }9 E% h" `>
$ ?$ ~( F& Y; r8 M, `" G> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 E/ S: Q: @: w. ]> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
0 u0 l9 }( b. \7 N> '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
. h5 Z* Y7 y+ ?# ?3 c4 \> 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?
/ Q* {. e2 f$ Z2 X; W>
! U% g/ Z7 w) z( ]( x2 G> A wise man once said every society is judged by
. e' p( Z; Z7 k! O$ G> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
0 ~+ s0 L- {7 o  B9 I! }: X: ?, l> 1. Delete
( r' c1 H7 r5 T; J> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.