Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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' i: j( ^! ~; p; v- a: ]. [; ?+ a> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: f6 R4 Q' \/ f( m8 `# k> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
$ u! t* d8 V" F5 C> same choice?
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% [$ k! f2 e7 \. ?( j> 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
; J3 F5 t# O2 f) J: o( o% L- @, s3 Y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
5 h+ g# _: e4 i: S; ]> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# Q& J1 k# V4 T# P> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
- F$ w; z9 q  s, u' T8 v, z> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
4 Y: ^8 Q  y) b# J! h> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
4 W6 M! r5 {" h, i+ |5 \> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% i5 ^! X! w  M9 G4 K) D  @> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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- b6 T1 i! Q( X* E> 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
> 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,
2 d  a# |+ n' R, _> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
- d  N0 G( d% s; T> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
+ L) J& l. Y5 h' x* _! Y/ H> 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
4 L5 e1 k8 W0 c, z5 |; ~6 a> 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
" v# n) A9 F$ n0 B. i$ H> 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
# V! L  E' k' W: t1 I) |4 L5 `% S& R> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
$ ^4 Q" a% A, T& f6 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
- q8 f7 t. U) ?' n+ {> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
* x2 W* e# f4 w, u7 O9 u> 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
* i' k1 w% T; Y6 f& |> 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
7 P* N3 N+ j3 a$ K4 w1 C> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
. K6 f& _; P% T& d: \9 m> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
3 N# [/ t1 U: P; t> 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
3 R! C2 _! z+ I9 f! n> 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
; R1 K* s2 K4 t- x; U. E$ m  }> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
0 j% C, G8 ~+ H7 I2 c1 W> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
9 E8 |* D( P+ G% Y% n> 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,
: L( P  r8 s: L+ R% y+ ~> 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
* [6 d) ]# }; [3 w$ m6 }- t4 V> 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
> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!
) \1 |- }0 A7 V! q( I5 S( g; z; x> Shay, run to third!'
>
% u+ \: N% ~& B4 \/ i> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; c, E5 o3 p: P  b" v. |> 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
; v2 y, z. J. ^  v> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
: N( H4 A# C1 R& E: n2 |> '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
4 t9 D5 P/ z4 _: j> 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
) k5 {3 u8 \& \( Q8 e> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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& G' B( c3 I7 }' ]' u2 g6 E  H> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
- v+ T" u6 E/ r) }- @/ J/ U6 ]* U> 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
3 m4 l$ J9 e, K/ h) [) O> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
3 |$ l7 _, _0 A+ H: n> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
1 u( G( y" {  w! c/ y> 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.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.