Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% Q' G2 h# f8 n( s, z> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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4 s. m: r: {& p- B8 P% G- X> 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
4 N: u! |( w. F- h0 M> 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
' @( A: s/ {2 U3 Q. T> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 j/ P( B2 J$ G; q& @> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
! Q9 `, E6 c, M7 F; R! d2 h> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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
0 N& s6 O/ l; t' \> treat that child.'
>
6 l* `0 |* O3 g8 ?) L9 D( I> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 C  n7 ?! R) ~1 P: N> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
: P0 ^" r/ U. ^2 t* b# S( T> 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,
, S. ]: n$ @3 z  E2 p2 R> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
% I' Z" f  Y1 ~/ F% A> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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5 T1 ?( U, S2 x! i6 c' Y$ J> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 S) P& {3 Z2 ^$ b! S* o9 c> 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
> 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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3 ]( M; }+ o; @1 W1 y2 P/ W> 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
> 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
7 G# ?& B! z1 t6 W5 s( z> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
& x; e' B$ K+ [+ V7 |0 U  \> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
& Y: |3 R2 H& @) \! n" X& E9 G> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
$ [/ Y; U$ d0 ?: d1 S( u5 Z> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
; `9 ^( L: v  Z( p# C  e! |: P3 H> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" L5 y/ N2 a$ D* K> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
, E" U3 g+ `8 I> next at bat.
>
$ ^9 t2 {) j( f> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
- I$ E$ Q9 A; @7 @9 a" ~) ^> 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
9 c8 Q2 H6 F% |7 M( e' y4 }> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
4 d6 p) |- w) |0 w% {> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
3 a4 j8 z; t5 p7 J> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
: L2 H8 J7 _' `! t! W# l. [> 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.
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2 C1 N' {$ y: J3 X6 \> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ u5 S3 g9 C5 d* E- G& z5 N> 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
> 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 v5 @* M( O8 T: _> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
6 F9 O& V! j# I6 X8 Z( a8 X> wide-eyed and startled.
>
# S+ r0 A6 J) K' m0 `$ e! ?> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
' h- M) `. ~2 ?" @> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
! f/ F) c( \% B+ |; I1 l> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
% U/ o$ B1 s6 f4 c( k& D$ S! W> 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
; \3 B2 F* H: E: L- N: m( I> 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
8 E1 B1 s/ J, `, N3 X> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
2 q2 Z. y+ n; |$ a# x+ I! D> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
1 V0 P( [( T7 `5 ]> 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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2 ?8 W0 H+ R9 t; @> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ d& v# N, I! {2 I7 z> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
: j5 [. s3 z' X; n/ @$ v1 Y' ?> into this world'.
>
8 v2 i. ~( D7 {6 d, o> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
; \2 V) b% u0 t; b* p> 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
- q- t) C* Y2 m> 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
* r6 T% x7 D6 M3 t& ?+ Z> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 ]5 g) a; \: O6 z" r1 U3 P4 M$ e> 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
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
) w$ v7 y; T; k# K* J& a> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
0 I  U& Q) ~  ?) F) Z> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
4 o/ G1 F! F5 _3 Y' Q, s5 z3 j1 s> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
4 ^2 h& V. T! v/ B" c> 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
# X) O. C+ P* ~> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 ]3 L7 N5 X- x( e2 `2 c, }> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
5 G% k8 k/ q/ I8 x- M5 B> You now have two choices:
- j% ~1 q* m( ~) ~> 1. Delete
$ V' x/ a  m# r% b( Z: L> 2. Forward
>
, ~1 Q  `" m. C0 n9 B/ r! r7 _' i( f> May your day, be a Shay Day.