Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
: Z+ k) U4 o( v9 t  C: L9 f, ?> 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
7 f% ]- u' p6 w( b5 B> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
$ e/ D7 y2 ~$ {& ^. G. Y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
/ b  H0 m, g" A7 ?! P" V4 z> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
0 X) k) x+ g! [2 [. p- G' z> natural order of things in my son?'
' B0 T" x  Z3 k% k3 ^0 v3 z6 |. f>
6 n+ g$ s- Q5 M+ G> The audience was stilled by the query.
" ~5 P. v2 K" K4 w6 Z3 Y>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* N9 E9 M5 G* I> 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.'
2 E- X) W# H! W$ O$ k>
> Then he told the following story:
( P; F/ u) F  y$ h7 v& l>
> 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
- r# K. O) x6 n% H> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
! b4 d$ f) R" Q# @> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
# F& L/ I) t' w9 w" b1 l> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
. Z; W5 l$ J  m, u7 Y>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
5 `7 Z" y  Y  e& x# X> 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.'
>
> 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
7 g% g8 n( [% l9 H+ b% C> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
5 m/ Q$ z' h3 M+ C2 D4 N8 r: r# G$ @> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
+ m2 Z2 W" p% s" ^9 j> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
5 _% u0 J! y: k: A3 z> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
& a. h) d& Y* p  X; W- ?; f/ i% J, l" U> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
8 i/ l+ p6 X$ x3 C> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
/ x, _# r$ M& h# C* q: A" x4 d0 e> next at bat.
3 K9 v+ S; i; \  E>
0 p/ A" S7 V  u9 C  i> 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,
! E3 _( s. `+ `> much less connect with the ball.
/ d1 n- L1 d& N7 J0 W! E: E, d2 O9 D> 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
2 Z2 q3 k" K! Z% V  s> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; p$ g" _; n& G3 W> 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.
) u1 I, t5 i7 Q& C! q> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
% I$ D! C& a* ]/ _# b> right back to the pitcher.
>
6 L: g  D; ?9 C" j4 E( ?> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> 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
3 g# S0 r" G1 h$ X> 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,
$ d' J- d- `& G8 T* j> wide-eyed and startled.
>
6 H' d. e4 x5 e/ A( `, b> 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
! I0 q0 Q3 T# m> 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
- a, Y2 w2 V4 I$ ~' Z1 \> 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
- U& J3 X! p& J0 H. Y' O> 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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3 c( P2 H7 O# t) G4 n# `> 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 _$ m$ @# P  J0 o9 @$ O> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
* Q1 n+ |  M3 D, g3 ~" `; s6 o> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
0 J7 \0 J* a; w( E$ \+ f: S& z> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
# t; C, m1 g4 S# B. C% y/ p' B' B> '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'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
8 o9 T. J" a9 r* g5 w> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
/ b6 V% {; F$ t6 D& f> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
6 g  d& _2 K) `. h- 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
4 y. N! P5 @. F* x1 Q5 C* q3 o> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
( k& h' V+ ?5 V4 ?+ _> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
2 `" v9 v$ i0 h2 V0 [3 b$ _, W> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
& ?5 k! f( W; v0 H0 s$ Q> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
/ M; F( N6 ?3 N5 i7 E1 n5 v  K> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
- B5 M6 D2 \) g; e9 ~% i> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
3 n# t  f% L1 {> 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?
5 `1 m5 ?& R1 Z/ P4 l6 ]>
. M- m5 J; x) U* ^8 f! f! f0 [> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
  S+ H' \9 H8 f! ]9 w> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
- s( i2 ~" ^0 s/ Z! Y+ ]( f>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.