Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
, a" f0 P7 H; p" X> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 ?  _& Z8 W# h6 t" O3 |- @& Z> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
; I7 t$ {/ A: Q7 e2 X. @. e> same choice?
>
: L5 U+ k! L; i6 T8 i! g> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
4 }% i! _# P  W. k; m$ `> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
" ^# u; z2 _! K> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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5 i  _9 f) S! Z% }9 v> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' U3 @( f2 H# T& L2 L9 w; @2 H> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 `- Q$ |$ |3 V) z) `( V. W> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
* q! w5 |$ z3 ^: v" w> natural order of things in my son?'
( `3 J# L6 Z6 q$ _>
& ^2 d+ U/ k4 f' n# v> The audience was stilled by the query.
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: g$ W! u& l2 k1 W- |  x> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
3 d0 z* r2 x- ?# b> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
, d' E2 a: J/ q0 ~8 ]8 _' F> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
4 O0 O1 s2 m& T>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
1 c& m* P/ o' i: \) V> 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,
* i" o: n* }9 k/ j2 {9 i> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
3 u- m( p% i% G( P+ d> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& `6 d7 B$ Q; ?6 @: U! i> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
# ~1 [/ Y* {/ O# d> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
) q! |; o# ?) m' n" L( G> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> 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
" D# p2 C/ B2 x7 i" k> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
) _0 A; o; m" @+ \0 V5 N> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
2 z5 X+ r; x. O' d6 v> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
) o; n9 N  n& V: b> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
- i* C9 q" [& _$ h* f> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
6 e! k9 o- Z' {> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
: ^! X6 V8 q+ F> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
2 k0 R! h. r; o9 V& |> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
- P+ }. A2 _, |/ ?* _5 B2 H5 _> 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
- E. F& k" E# @% h> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
! n6 f& c' E5 C( t> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, S: I2 O6 G2 t- h4 J% M> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
2 b5 O5 c- G* w- {7 L> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
8 M  o6 ?" z8 A; s6 C> 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.
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2 w7 f  U4 o# ]* [9 O9 C4 D> 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
# l) {- R2 D% c% x2 k8 J> 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
5 F( B# w" \7 v, ]& y8 w9 W7 S> 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,
# I1 E% y' `! h, ]5 i4 {> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
, S3 c1 u  F$ T" T( ~, [> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) m) Q3 h- I* l> 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
% T- d) e% g  d+ [0 W. m' c> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
! s  A: F. l9 k2 P> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
4 U6 o5 ~- d9 A1 `> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
. O. `! e7 k9 }  \' m6 U> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
: j  Y1 G, M/ Q+ X. a! t) n$ w" @) F> circled the bases toward home.
: ~' `' `$ ^& }/ d>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
5 C3 L& N1 H7 X9 A* v>
% F9 K+ G: }; z> 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!
6 V2 g9 X3 m- e! E  c' g2 a> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 o- ?8 Z, j3 x> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
- D) k. n  V- J5 A7 F> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
1 n( c" y8 x- @4 f0 z> game for his team.
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8 }/ O) d" R4 q0 `2 l. j7 x3 ]> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 M! e7 ^, b1 @% d> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
# @* {0 l: K4 S/ `1 i+ p>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 ]/ u. S! J7 P0 l% s0 w+ y/ F% p> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
8 b0 }. a2 k5 O' x; f1 A% [  o> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
5 P1 x( P3 b! {- U> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
( d& V  I$ R: P( S; i> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 q$ N! q( I$ u> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
/ r- g/ V% E( k) L> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
* W3 T3 ^4 M3 A4 G. _4 E2 r>
> 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
> '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
% x* S6 {9 m$ P$ V> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
4 Q5 V4 z1 v2 O5 E; e% m' j0 a! p' ^$ X> 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
8 g  x6 i) }1 Q! P1 a; O' E> 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
9 E/ j& g) G# T. Z> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
7 Y; a5 ?3 ?& \* `+ }5 m> 2. Forward
>
& u) K* g1 k9 E; e; T> May your day, be a Shay Day.