Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' J2 ?! i9 }' [. M7 _> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
6 N2 S2 ~$ \6 }" x> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( i- i* ^8 ]0 p2 d: l3 [5 a0 A; S9 B> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 K: N0 ?: z) _- ]> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
) r/ W6 m0 e+ R" h> staff, he offered a question:
>
( g) S" C0 O8 Z) F5 J1 }> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
, ^: M/ q$ Z  t2 S# N> 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
/ v+ p5 p( u5 g> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> 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
& x1 \5 ^! c8 R' N& V> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
2 |" x6 x$ s! c; C> treat that child.'
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! N3 h8 k4 q# \9 L2 X* r> Then he told the following story:
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! {: {$ `9 [; }9 o, R# d. v1 C> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# |0 c4 }5 |6 _, w- b% l> 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
) n- [% |- b1 \0 l2 g. b> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
$ e) s0 J* x. h  C! d> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
. I' x, z" I  p2 @> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
! {; S" s& s& v% ~4 U> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 `; F0 B8 ~1 R! r; W) c/ l) ~> 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
1 Q2 p2 ?8 @5 `( Q> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
3 C! s# r- ?6 F& N. X3 [% I) Y> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- b* z6 G/ V% O> 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
( I" v) C8 C* J" T& _> 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
> 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
! V; `8 f$ T5 b  O> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
- U0 v& M' Y3 }$ s5 a) j8 B> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
( H3 i4 Q: d6 T$ b> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
/ }: h3 \2 R4 g$ l2 p> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
( w9 x$ x% }: H0 L/ v0 B& h0 i> much less connect with the ball.
0 D6 G9 j6 e( ~" R> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
; @- o2 A3 ]3 Z9 K6 k( M$ l. h> 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
; P1 o5 j' o5 B$ h> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 y& f7 B7 l/ g& B> 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.
>
" x' X9 _, S: i; j> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 C, K+ j% Y( q8 k> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
- Q8 _" r+ ]' T! a) t> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
' ?, ]4 I8 G4 n: [> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
+ {6 `4 H3 t5 a  V9 t- o> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
$ N6 D+ J8 |' C$ G( a3 K> wide-eyed and startled.
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. \% L- x+ d! A' X> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ A& _! w% @( F' k# `! v> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
5 V0 ?, E4 |* h> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
3 r( L3 g* ?+ \2 ^* v$ ^> 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
9 e( p  Y2 P9 S5 a' V2 e> circled the bases toward home.
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1 ]5 r, u. q, U2 P  X> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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. U7 w% _0 R- \$ U* H/ x% U> 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!
7 g  w6 S$ B4 p7 W6 w5 U& m- h; j% F> Shay, run to third!'
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8 ^3 s! z/ Q6 t5 i/ T9 `> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
* r3 L; @  y; ~" v: T9 j7 J* x> 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
' a3 Y+ J7 f$ Y# O6 s+ f( q% B> game for his team.
>
7 A$ I- ^6 I1 p& \> '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
> into this world'.
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5 ~! f/ I9 W4 C" n& X4 @3 G; y> 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
$ G( p; }) c6 t" _8 X2 J, N0 _7 K! `> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
9 u0 Y$ B" P. M2 ?' z6 H> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
( L' ?4 M5 d3 y6 L3 B4 t> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
% E" U0 O/ o' C+ X' a/ D* {) g> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
; `! t; h- N$ `( H/ Y( [> 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
> '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
( v1 h, @2 B6 R( U> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
' [% q8 |/ i$ ~; F3 q> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
2 @+ X7 ^* K6 X) Y! E, Q( I- ~> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
0 v' S/ ]1 l/ P9 ?' G8 D: l> bit colder in the process?
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2 E' S* j! s% N- R: w> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 ?  B) _# H/ ?* H/ s. u4 G5 U> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
1 m. X" }6 L, u( N8 |> 1. Delete
9 G; S; d( L; A0 J> 2. Forward
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9 k5 Z' h! n0 G0 P/ t& V> May your day, be a Shay Day.