Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
* m; l; Z* e1 ^2 Q$ |>
8 I. [: t% E+ I2 ~3 b& t, _> 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
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
) v: D: z; ~' u( i0 R> 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
2 }  q% U% E7 a# P/ m3 @> staff, he offered a question:
! R, g- @6 y& K; x# @$ m$ I2 M>
: ]: D2 Q2 A4 T1 l> '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?'
! F, v! X2 v" p! D2 O>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
, Y3 k  U" y, P; l" M" u+ Z>
7 @, U7 n2 ~  @& |> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
" D* a) H  x& a) {% N> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
7 `+ D" Q$ g1 e0 j8 j" i>
> Then he told the following story:
>
. J' j/ }! p$ M6 s- ?7 @1 N- `> 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
6 x, a& |* X8 B) T; D; J> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
" a1 U% ?0 W- N. u2 }> 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
0 `0 w9 T0 M. i# K5 R: w> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
- A0 g' h9 I* g# @& H1 O$ X>
+ c* G* Q, d7 k+ P> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ m, N, I$ h& w, Y  R> 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
9 [4 [% k6 e# U) [- }/ }> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
( Z1 R( r+ b% p2 y> inning.'
& |% h& I1 t5 f. m>
! V% Q4 G9 z: c1 w  I; l! `4 B> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 ]: z, I/ h" V* ?3 i> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
; y. i; p0 Q2 I; ?$ |> 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
& [  v5 f* Y) U( f; O" D% ]> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
9 Q+ u+ D2 F& H> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
, W/ h; v6 Q+ T5 m( t) S+ e> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
+ _- Y. g9 K' E* E3 D( L> 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.
>
2 v6 }- o- f% D" T' S, R/ v> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
% M8 y9 l9 K( ^% E' \- q! z> 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,
6 e5 y/ A& p3 b; |/ F2 D& y; T> much less connect with the ball.
: \) p9 C' s5 |6 Z* I" u0 \+ l3 R> 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
0 x4 b+ |1 s8 `* W# x: _> 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.
: d' ]7 n% j% x, Q  r% a> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
  A. u3 v6 k2 ?7 u/ t$ j$ v  ~; u2 l2 P3 ~> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
% ~( F' `1 k4 P, V> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
9 h" v8 h0 N) F% p> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
) K4 z# }) p- P* b9 R> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
: t5 ?+ r1 L$ D& f> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
8 X. H% X/ n. `6 @- F4 t# T> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
3 b* @+ E# }, V> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
: L( X/ U8 W1 w" T+ R  O> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
7 b) i6 J* `8 }. _2 g: t> 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,
. `( s& ?" ?1 o> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
- k; ?9 g. Z( u+ X6 w% q0 m> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
* o+ i# `" l  n+ M7 A: c) ~/ G>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
! g  P  ~, k7 P: A>
  G" g. Q- t- Y+ Z> 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!
' s4 V3 ]' J2 w) {1 o> Shay, run to third!'
9 H+ r. ^. M+ d+ R% d! N: D7 o>
> 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
8 i6 s( k: \% u' J/ [- d> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
4 p3 z* q1 P: c3 q4 p> game for his team.
>
4 @1 C. x* d: _$ e' V9 ~6 ?/ N> '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
% c, H/ c' V# I7 ~( O> into this world'.
3 F6 w- `3 c# V- k>
! \  d4 H. d: f& J0 [3 v$ i. M7 b' D> 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!
>
) L4 h: X: ~" z& w9 Y7 T6 m> 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
9 H8 c) l8 H/ a> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
5 L! }& z0 b9 d: z' x" r: m& O- F> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
+ V3 o4 M' T. I0 H> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# r$ Z3 R- P6 s) F' ]5 {> 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
) S5 i& }1 @* `  S7 @> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
4 p  b3 V0 l; [# D/ {3 ^5 I3 _% K> bit colder in the process?
3 l9 O0 ?7 a2 u$ ~( L# F>
9 _8 R: o6 Y: f7 _3 r> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* U& y# }5 b# }( J; `9 C> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
6 a6 I% b8 i' x; b6 v# ]> 1. Delete
, m. \2 u5 {5 x$ \8 O' a> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.