Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
6 q0 l9 ~' e( B9 q# o$ H> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; H: f5 }7 [" e/ h# F2 d8 c: F> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
" i! c+ ^+ u4 W# n> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
+ `- d6 b& v6 ?> staff, he offered a question:
- x0 q/ `4 [+ `, B! ?# A# D6 }: p>
. a* Z1 J' C1 ~+ k/ ?3 |> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
$ ~2 L8 e; ^2 c1 A- _9 Z* n> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
$ C9 b0 i5 s( z" @9 Y, f>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 F# w0 p$ ^! j# c/ `> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
; `* a8 }( m; i( Z0 }! Q" D( B>
0 q" }& s- f- U5 a: d; h+ _  k> Then he told the following story:
4 a% f0 J" c; a9 n9 t# Z>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
( x7 ^5 Q* e+ C: T. Q> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
' S6 c$ g' u# W; _- V> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
( k) V5 g/ I  e7 D. \0 A1 o> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
$ V2 A/ r6 p! ?% P' b; T> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
8 H  Y* H( B# z7 Q! U> 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
% R% q  f6 l4 b3 e> inning.'
>
' X8 K- H6 ~5 T, O0 K> 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
9 ]4 Q3 i" X; d! O2 x> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
/ O0 q" u" a5 K1 C: d> 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
# W0 i* b1 o2 D3 ~> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
$ s9 }# D6 T- \5 K. x( K> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
  v- s% X5 d% g) M0 _* T/ B3 _> 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
> next at bat.
>
! i# V0 x' ]6 M1 _1 j5 {> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
& n& ~4 m" I( |( X> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
& I9 K2 U( |& A$ f+ S+ e> 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
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
+ X: q+ l: k5 q5 E, F  N> 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 [/ Y, n  z7 ~& l. d5 Z> 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.
>
> 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.
) I. \9 I  A5 W3 ]9 d- n>
$ G% c8 f0 g8 u> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
" a5 P9 c/ s: c# c0 D. X> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
8 b( K0 h. [& _8 E3 c% x, X> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
' s5 d$ s% l/ A6 B- O9 v2 a% `- c> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
; H/ m7 w2 u( M6 C> wide-eyed and startled.
>
& T2 i& M6 b2 _9 c> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) G9 R% S' M$ Z# m; w> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
5 R) e8 s( b! n4 o> 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
2 v9 N$ |+ j% Y# \> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
; z% c- I6 d2 P' J$ [5 I> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
+ D. v2 Q2 x: D> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
0 X1 V* _' w( s7 E& Y" h! ^>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
* G+ }5 g4 k8 L; o) a> 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
4 X5 K/ I- J2 t: O. e> 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,
. J! A) Z' u$ p; Y6 [0 l> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
- U5 a/ W/ R9 V5 u" N* q5 r# y> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
, Y/ }% c7 H2 d# ?3 O> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
& q  C( }; H! o" W  w> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
8 q" s; j" P/ l; w9 Q+ n>
0 E  Y! @4 I5 O7 h: Y> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
$ [, Q/ `. ?0 Z0 l> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
/ u; e7 H7 J9 q$ B+ s0 Y9 f) D> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
6 F% q9 Y$ O) V! N> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
" B! ~6 i* f+ r5 K+ x! `7 e7 u* G> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
" b) |  K* A. [> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
4 C% K6 D4 V7 R" X% ?& r> 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
3 {' e' U, h8 T. Y2 g. r5 R! U1 ?> 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
0 \9 J6 r8 B4 z2 ^! T+ m8 [  u! ^> 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
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
3 A1 @5 y. \2 @% y# s( {& Y>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
7 l9 H9 ^, O; d+ |> May your day, be a Shay Day.