Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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2 K) p4 y* {% E2 p; b/ ^> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 B/ }8 ~4 S2 ~> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
! g! ]' _2 m  m% j- x$ j  U$ b> 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
6 j3 h7 ]8 w  `) N> staff, he offered a question:
>
/ W( M/ _9 W/ z4 [' s/ B1 C> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 y* J( u. f2 j6 L- \0 T" S> 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
1 g) t1 f. K: j8 K$ `  f/ y> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ u9 v7 c0 k; z> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 I: H6 m  G/ H$ o0 k; w5 ~> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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6 R5 M  Q# d' N% D9 n9 X> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# A& M  z/ c5 Y> 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,
! n1 e0 d4 E; ]5 T8 c! N* _- o$ N7 Z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
! {0 x/ r' H% {( _' i; g> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
% m* g/ s" W% e/ z> 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
> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, @$ z3 B7 E0 [/ W> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
5 @/ x/ m) y0 n2 i+ R! D> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
- O" }. j9 g, n4 P8 A> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
/ C2 ~7 F- |  h6 H* y> 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.
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& |4 A# g0 k) ]* p" I> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. p; L; b- {9 @- q, _* f% E> 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,
> 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
" o( S8 D6 [9 D6 ~. o* b6 y9 e> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% Z) c' ^6 n! o, ~> 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
! O5 @, }: f8 B  q> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
% ^, q1 R) a& ]! p7 S- R9 t+ l8 r" ^> 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
) Y$ v8 d6 f& A$ L> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
- S, X2 m9 O2 U$ u- q0 F: p6 n> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
0 B( i" v) ?, h! i4 d% \& F3 n) G> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
& }. h+ m# X, J9 G> 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
9 o* C/ E9 O* Z( }" ~; f9 a> 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
# X( j# b% L5 g> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
" `( I4 M' |% c& N" g9 f% R> 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!'
>
> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
$ e3 M9 b% q: Z% a4 Q> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ O3 ?2 c3 z! z) _$ L2 B' }) k> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
5 j! }/ I) A: s3 P* v' a9 U> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
9 p/ r' F$ v# h/ y6 S$ I4 z> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
# w$ w; I3 Q6 j1 L: t* D' L3 z> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
$ g' T% ^0 P3 Q# A, q  V: D> 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
% F1 m# d, m/ P9 y5 |  \> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
' o2 Q9 @* y" I  ^+ G: ^> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
" A0 X; }4 C$ g5 S5 S' n> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
; J& D  c/ I. i/ h- I& {' S/ Q0 ?> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
* J$ h9 y0 ^9 d$ K0 l" d% h> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
' ~' ^' U# z2 N> 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
  K+ D, c- C3 N> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
  i! E) e* V* C* }$ w> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
& J& K% ]8 R2 q# h$ i> You now have two choices:
# ^: K- ^" {" Q0 u2 u# q6 F> 1. Delete
. C+ m, d$ C( F: i> 2. Forward
>
7 i8 R" s7 G& P9 ]> May your day, be a Shay Day.