Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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, r- t2 o9 I: o# ?) |$ B1 e( M> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
+ q; @3 A' d/ P3 I! F& v+ ?% Y2 A> same choice?
>
1 q$ I# g0 w% X- t4 U) l> 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
+ T2 O% q5 a, ?# _' `> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 t& v1 m) d+ {" T> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 {5 n" r& T7 N9 W/ u7 Q- p> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
0 U4 G0 C! G4 C/ _0 [, A6 o> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
2 |: V( i( _5 O2 r3 G4 `4 I> treat that child.'
>
  w# a1 ?/ \, x0 Z> Then he told the following story:
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. Q2 ^6 \5 @& P> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
7 J$ z) j) ]' O$ S# P: D+ \> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
/ @# {6 A# n+ s2 g; _> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
" e5 D) R! z. ]* j8 U> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 T, F, U  ~! |5 ]> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
' |* q8 T1 o: y8 z7 y> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- |& ^1 s4 Y6 a2 \> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
( R; C/ e/ s5 l7 K> 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
/ L8 S7 d3 I. `/ o1 Q$ w5 M4 y> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' R/ J6 |3 _: k; n7 \; Y  a% y> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
4 k% N( `3 K4 T, j> 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
# Z9 l3 Y: O$ @8 r4 L  ~! g) f> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
2 E# m+ m+ u: |( |% o) m* v8 M6 B> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
/ g$ E) |' ^+ D/ `% _> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
2 {3 Y9 ]1 m% z) o% i> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
% }! P& T3 U, V8 u# z> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
6 B6 y( j, O4 k6 y> 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
. h: J7 s, s$ O. M& }> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
/ V, y; i7 }5 J+ s! p8 I9 T> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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% U2 _4 I2 ]  X, Y4 L> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 ?; t6 U6 i' f( Z( O, V6 Y+ b> 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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6 \0 X! f0 h* ~6 |> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; x9 ^$ L  ?/ Y2 w5 r8 U* x> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
) l; n$ \$ k; {) y> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
. _' L  v: [' O" J# Z> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
. M7 q! e" z/ D5 x2 P6 v7 I4 x> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 w. c" i8 V4 D3 `> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
+ x/ _$ [6 P6 {1 V8 L> 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,
4 @2 S4 E/ T0 }9 G7 X> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
+ ?1 Z4 v3 k9 e> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
. W' N; e2 G; |) P> 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
  b, {. W* w( K' o# c- |> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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# e, u; [7 i  G0 O% V3 ^> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 `4 V+ e2 x2 A+ V8 c# [+ P* X3 x> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
" d& v/ {( P) D* F# c7 B+ F% @4 U> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
5 ~" X0 k& a$ k. r& h! s$ ^> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
/ |8 `, I7 I1 m) l( K* Z+ \> into this world'.
>
( M, f7 X& r. r1 ?, n> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 l+ I" n" s/ X- N! Z7 r" l/ n' r> 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!
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6 S% U4 {) P9 S) s$ y7 V, j/ q> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
> 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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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
! a) O8 V; q3 a, i1 i/ {- }> 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
3 f0 p! l3 G2 f$ l: I; U> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 }4 ?9 Z0 J# Y! M$ q7 z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
) }* @! ^/ i& f. o8 {" s* X) ?% c" b7 b> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 a% S0 C4 p; a4 k) n5 y> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
* ]  x2 V! b, s0 B$ ?5 {( _6 ~> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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' m* ?& f2 a% O0 c2 W0 T> A wise man once said every society is judged by
+ j) N5 v& Z, A: z5 K. `% D6 h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
1 i4 L4 z% c3 ]/ i( I: b> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
6 }1 K. I  F2 Y$ t- {% m. z" m> 2. Forward
>
" d5 m) a' ?7 Q9 ]! o, |> May your day, be a Shay Day.