Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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# P7 |& l8 E& S4 g> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
" o+ N* y7 T" g; u# o1 ~> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
# {  J1 W/ k! Q3 x; ~! t) x! n2 G* B> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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?'
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/ o, Z7 e) K+ p0 A) ]$ |> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ A$ E4 x$ o& v8 N> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: F: ^. u. D- G' ^+ C> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
6 l, W" o# W' w+ t  @> Then he told the following story:
>
2 d8 g! N9 U# b0 N3 V  a7 G9 u0 a0 F> 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
- H5 P. _  T+ \$ E( i> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
' \1 l3 N$ l1 ^: [# @" C5 v> 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
1 V$ T5 r/ `, V> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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; c$ b6 t9 n/ N" j9 j; {> 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
* f' q) z0 K& y) d> 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
& w! Z& F; g, R0 C+ w' h> inning.'
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> 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
7 o; q/ g( p- x/ e. Z* @> 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
& Z  Z4 W1 B0 A9 B( Z( e> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
1 |" e' |3 C3 P> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
" T: f# c  `  }: }> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
" l, U$ b7 q/ z5 m> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
- i! f+ E* `& b: K1 m' Z! ~> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
' F. K9 A. \' A> 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
& a2 c5 b6 l- T# m" @" ^3 D> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% c' I+ `: Z( v( A> 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.
8 Z: t; t# M. [( E0 `& O) U> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
+ Z: x# w+ v3 f" j3 R> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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.
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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
: o3 f+ R7 D6 V: f8 k' h> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
+ x+ L- f1 T/ d" ]* j2 M> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
8 W/ E+ O3 w3 _5 K2 d> 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,
6 G3 F9 Z" x% ]- S; q> 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
- H" H& x0 V6 `> circled the bases toward home.
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/ b: w/ C" n6 {% I0 Q- u> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 G" g4 E3 P1 p$ l5 \> 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.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
9 ?! t  k  s9 ]# F> into this world'.
>
, q: }! s. Z+ Z: T) q3 }> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
* {7 p" t" A2 b> 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
8 i' C+ y* i- q& h: p> 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
2 S1 J8 v( x  y& F5 z( L# K> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
, M; l/ v! C  u1 t. L( `& [2 b2 j> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
# u$ k% j9 N3 O7 l5 f* b> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
% o' b4 b( y; S( B+ E& P+ v% T> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
' J) R/ m+ S* h, [4 R> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! h  A; P' u# E4 u- K4 k2 v: Q3 K> 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
> bit colder in the process?
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8 C& X/ u  I. k6 ]* r# R3 f> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% ^0 A1 C& B8 O8 _* T) M: r> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.