Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
& `. v- c. l# [& k8 S; _> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' T9 i9 N+ B+ C. H6 U> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
: ?- e3 h, F+ i  ]> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
1 ]6 d" p8 B, c7 {) D0 _& w0 u> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
, S4 l% W  w; h> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
6 H1 ]9 S) \  E; Q8 ?2 A> staff, he offered a question:
>
& p+ G' H0 p/ u! e% Y> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! z/ Z8 u6 [. }! g> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
) J4 u% t  |( P+ O  h  G/ ^> natural order of things in my son?'
$ `. k7 C- |- K3 T>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
8 b9 Y/ T8 F- [" s8 _% R1 K> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
3 V4 k* l( w9 l- U> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
4 _& e7 X+ k$ x7 x# r6 Z> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
/ W7 N# ]$ F2 C* I% r1 z> treat that child.'
; ^7 u* x: W" v  H/ k, ~+ a& O>
> Then he told the following story:
>
- q. |7 G5 `( }3 y. K> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 \( S% y0 P% a' H0 m> 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
+ i" G6 Q1 d0 @% G% G- v# B* ]3 P' ~> 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.
( c) a: R% \! j>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
; G, b! Z- w* s5 y> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
, ~1 Z+ f4 `) V4 b5 q$ C( K9 S> 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
7 q3 G- ?1 O! h" s- B, Q9 L1 J> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
2 L% O9 P3 R* V7 G> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
7 N+ q3 S% o0 T/ \" u9 m% [! H> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
& T" f) z/ L, w> 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
$ C$ b' x+ {8 o" K( U> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
- m" y9 d! ~" G( l( [7 r, t4 e> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
2 C* H$ C2 [- ^# H, y- A  k1 X> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
1 I% r: Q7 ^1 K" [/ z> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> 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
8 E  }& W! p4 p0 N) V# o> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
+ J& J$ S# R3 f8 E, g. ?' e) N- U> much less connect with the ball.
% b; }, k4 C+ U( x1 b> 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
" C* a" a' e1 }+ C# C; P> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; ?0 D, L1 e7 p* f: I6 c) N3 x2 f> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
( J' o5 y( H7 k+ Q4 A> 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
/ q. s3 j' G- y3 D$ @& ^& w- _' c> 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
# n: d3 Y$ b$ m! |" k3 W; p; }> 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
* }6 d+ z( ]+ x' E> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
# F7 c  U  v5 S" a  R> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
( {6 ]) J5 g7 r+ Y' V' Q> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
. @1 Z, {8 y6 m1 {> wide-eyed and startled.
% W+ E' I2 T! \>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" Z4 r$ w7 t$ M! ]! L> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. {7 q3 L) Z- m5 B% i( r. j> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
$ D# H, i2 x' C  ^$ A* y* E> 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
% t/ L7 g" P+ o' Z/ S& n> 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
" l$ s+ s3 _9 g3 ?# m6 B# _> 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
2 D# f! u' A4 P; r" s8 W* h> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
+ k( O( Y  f2 Y9 A) N>
> 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.
>
3 v7 S! i& b+ V+ W# U$ S+ L. T> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
' t  N1 l- ?4 ^' z+ Y$ N+ }> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
, j" {" _* n8 x>
, z0 y! D3 k: Q> 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!
7 W& c3 x8 S3 n>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
5 L. I- I0 }, u$ S% F> 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
! l) D# W* j+ V  g4 I5 b$ d> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
5 X  I5 \/ q# A( z- t1 f. M> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 ?  f. I" F$ Z% O! T. y) ]$ c> 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
5 Q9 s, ?$ l% k" m  a6 o> 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
) X* y1 o6 U: o" m! ~4 F) B> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
# Y* S1 K) z" M3 r, {& S, V> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
$ D2 v! W; E# Y0 B8 |6 K> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
9 Z" r+ H9 K1 V, ~6 b7 z> bit colder in the process?
5 x- z+ E* ~" {* F# `0 C4 j3 I>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
4 U# B& v( {3 j, @0 D  O! d> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
: q. W7 A( T8 ?* }" V0 A6 M% @" T> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.