Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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+ Y7 `' b( k7 }4 d> 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
4 q: {) X4 d% }0 k> same choice?
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2 ?0 P/ e( H" C) y> 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 V2 J8 L( u# ]> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
2 s+ |3 F$ l3 W4 S! w4 K8 G6 L4 l; f> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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
) ^6 {- r  @/ D> natural order of things in my son?'
>
3 p5 v: {: T* h7 F3 N% m+ j> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
2 M$ u. z: x' ?1 E% z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 c  a/ h% _4 O4 r* Z) L7 U> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  v6 p1 I% T( |% G; D- n  q6 l> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
/ y% T% e4 V( g> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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! F7 `6 g' c6 J! L* w9 p( k) S> 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
& [; W9 f% q1 C3 G0 }0 K> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
( |& K5 O  ^, F4 y" {> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> 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
# X) G& W+ B  z9 n> 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
' X6 l  [8 @5 z  S+ O> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
0 t* m: S$ i7 Q- V. W> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
, F0 P* y( I. X( A& A8 _) U) g> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ }1 q# i2 z' E5 N> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
+ v0 T% j* @3 ?5 _> 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
, V# ]* P$ e' e0 [/ j> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
1 o  q; E6 X- x# B> 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.
* e( f4 s, Z  P7 R* Q; L( S, _, D) P> 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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2 g* b, F* V8 x0 w+ x0 k8 d> 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
6 ]8 \; e; I, K2 h6 V3 {> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
5 \+ c$ |) U; ?& \1 B) 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,
  B% r% x! Y- \8 b8 F5 X> 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
! x3 P- P  G* K+ w5 V" C% H> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
/ A' X9 w1 @2 u3 F> 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
4 X* j3 e5 S/ U> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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
) v3 T7 C) I2 m> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
0 w) ^3 Q# H9 Z: ~9 ~# `8 F> Shay, run to third!'
>
8 j$ ~& K+ X; X  p% k& r> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
& s  ^3 E1 A% X) J- O8 v> game for his team.
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. `% M# m9 G, `! t> '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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( a7 |+ t5 m- N; D7 q> 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!
>
> 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
1 z( H; y, v/ F> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
- p9 R' {% I( Q" g7 z+ T> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
8 o/ j% S' h5 G2 d, {0 q. b7 X> 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
0 c3 N: B( B: B5 S; Z6 W( K> 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
- @5 n! M8 O$ B) ~/ j+ Z> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
* _. F% A8 Y! X8 ^! h3 I> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 ~; U; o; C, A3 H' P> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
5 f+ T' u$ f# z) w& v) E% B> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.