Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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$ j3 U- X" b9 o; z" p" Z> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 V3 |7 a5 e5 K. S2 J6 G8 q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
- \" r; W7 q2 H> same choice?
>
- k6 b& F1 r5 _& p1 C+ h, O' F5 t> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( a1 o. T. r; H# o. ]6 R, [> 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:
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" [6 d3 e, Y" q+ t0 w9 ~, U> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
+ e7 O2 r! P1 m> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
+ Q/ G% C: K" u& V8 ]> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
6 z, V/ |; I+ h, V- \2 w>
> 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
+ d" J% P% o2 D* O> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
; h) B3 p! p$ s9 O4 ^! x- j( p> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
" [3 u$ J. n# l. J# x5 g, {> 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
% P* c3 B% H" V; A0 O> 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.
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> 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
4 A1 [1 I/ e" I  I> 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
) s/ }& d$ I3 d7 C; f' L) v+ W> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
* c0 b  h" z8 j+ m; E" @% D> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
> 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
4 ^# J7 v( S# m4 e  s& b> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 c$ Y; x  D2 n" c> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
) Y  r2 ^, f; f3 I( h; }8 |; t> 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
; H3 M% y3 t  \> next at bat.
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> 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,
1 g* k- E; ]( ~% }9 @- C- V> much less connect with the ball.
$ q) O+ `8 ^& v( M> 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
3 _# T/ J1 @; Q3 v, H8 Z# z> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
" D* N  H. Q- k2 [% h9 `0 y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
3 y+ `7 x% q  o" E> right back to the pitcher.
>
) |6 i$ \5 g" |  \, e, u> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) ~2 z/ b: J) k/ U> 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.
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> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
7 h( o# T# I+ \6 E! Z> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) I3 r  ]9 S6 O: Z1 x* G; D> 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
6 g! v  p7 ]) b: g  R> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
% q' y3 Y) ~6 }$ E( Y$ j> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
. E6 ~) H, J9 \2 [: l> 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
4 N+ K, q& f: b7 \, x: D> circled the bases toward home.
>
* y: d% j, X8 u9 R8 k9 I# Q. f% h0 l> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
, j) n7 W' v6 K0 D! Q7 [> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
# K: R; h$ y1 C+ h9 V> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
  F! f$ |) `# n- T% o/ v> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
- C! _  s7 d1 B* ~. n" C> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
- J3 f4 I0 Q: x& Q1 T. p3 N> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 |9 Q8 L7 s9 w9 h/ K> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
5 K- h& p7 F" m> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
, o" z& f/ N4 ?5 u% V! K* _" K; H3 x> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
+ o7 }# a8 C! H; @8 n6 `6 }> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
4 s* l. k2 L2 l' O+ q>
> 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
- X4 t. d% M2 K2 H0 ^1 K> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
+ h  A  v! B7 B> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
! m: y2 @9 L7 L& v> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
. R4 q; s4 c2 I! r. h$ o& ^> 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
, c7 W5 C# ]/ }> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
3 E5 F) V5 J4 B% b3 z9 C9 b" m> bit colder in the process?
>
4 d/ u' Z9 X6 {5 m* _8 ~  i> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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" |: [3 I# L# z* M2 a> You now have two choices:
8 S' E3 ~6 M3 H1 N0 N, ]> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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) q; Y2 `. q' H, N> May your day, be a Shay Day.