Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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3 j5 }4 ]7 D- K3 k/ [' e( [/ Z> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
4 M  c- \, ~4 Y# a: P> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
+ U8 f( q; u' ^1 w> same choice?
>
! l) }: C/ E& D6 m6 C  E8 \7 ~> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
2 e" n1 u+ f0 ]5 v> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
3 |/ @+ }( `0 B$ H; c1 J" i> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; K+ o) n+ C# i: @9 F( M> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 H7 [. _2 L2 c+ {. V, W( v) k% {1 i> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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( @+ j) [+ [3 t. ^/ ]4 T% o& s! c> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
, {* a  H9 K) b7 N3 B> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
5 ]- i: v; a1 Q. i; R! D> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
. S9 l. v$ w2 [8 O( H! B1 ]> treat that child.'
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' a  t2 s) G1 G3 `' d/ `! Q> Then he told the following story:
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# V* {2 `( l0 I5 U' W" }4 U> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
9 N% U( x7 Q3 n  X) K8 r> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
+ w- j& K! I' @& M3 p6 @$ \. M> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
$ r( b8 m1 w( l7 t> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
) Z* v8 |( B: n  R% t. b& f# i$ v> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
5 H) s4 v) c* V7 N; ]> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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& h2 H1 V1 [# ~8 Q4 e8 ~* l- l> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
% t$ y1 W$ ^: d1 W% s9 }, g> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
7 Z5 V1 {: P0 x% {0 i( A, H. ^> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
  O" N" r, A, o6 o& S0 R- {> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 G- T) G" q5 f2 H/ H. {7 I  T- }> inning.'
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6 [4 {6 {$ h+ F, A" D( x" {, K> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
, [, G( U4 X' L$ |> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
# B9 e2 P3 i% `( C* p> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
2 f! l2 f5 c% s5 @  d> 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
> 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
9 [: {# A" Y' o# g* |; v5 C3 p> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
" Z( {, e; i! |: u> 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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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
1 E2 f- |: [  `3 k> 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,
! V: T! P" L. r+ u0 E. [> much less connect with the ball.
! J5 ^. p4 A# X; }, K> 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
' ]. U* ~9 _# z) k9 E6 y> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
/ ~( ~1 r: i- E) L* E> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
- z9 [% W4 G1 L: T" R* F& ^> 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
# {5 x- h" @# L  g3 [3 @* q7 h> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
  K- h1 Q: B8 W4 q7 n" c1 a> wide-eyed and startled.
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; d/ S. i8 M; F/ U> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; T  w# V6 \% {0 P, F> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
/ `# o4 u. ?. C2 D' D> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
# h: a! }- h. D% X1 F; ]> 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
% |: k9 ~, w' t8 ?( c+ D5 O4 z+ T> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
8 M2 o4 l! g5 t* {1 @4 j) _> circled the bases toward home.
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8 o; L8 {) P  c) E! y8 n> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
! d( m. A% h$ Z> 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
/ S* D" H, D0 H3 _# W9 s8 O> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
. {& [* E2 S; N4 C9 r4 z( Z2 O$ G> 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,
# Y- D9 _! E( {  \8 W! z> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
$ G8 Q1 {& Q% l# g7 B+ ?> into this world'.
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( E4 F& O4 W% d9 @> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) T5 ~8 x' U! }9 V# M/ `> 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!
>
$ N- N" c) `& l> 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
- b& j, m# N. \8 S> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
' D# o' e) O, j& }$ P7 ?1 L> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' [# L; Q0 Q' h: r7 ]- t) o> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
. B9 s' w' Z6 y4 }> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
& L, P* u, F$ g> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
8 M9 V2 z3 X. s> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
* o2 [7 w7 {# R0 l# y+ |2 Z: s> bit colder in the process?
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4 P) f( I+ I, x$ k" U, J7 E> 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:
* |8 w: d3 |/ }' ?0 ^9 A& p> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.