Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
& H* ^: n* U; M6 R> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
( H5 _3 J' h, n# W> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
# N& `. v6 }, {7 v> same choice?
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> 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
! ~2 T- h$ k5 C/ t) S3 W5 `  H, \> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
2 j4 T* @- A( j1 x% p! K> staff, he offered a question:
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# I4 d# f$ |9 p+ ?6 P2 p/ Z> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
( F: {7 v' M1 K8 ?: h8 O> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
: F  c9 e" W1 r3 u9 Q  z> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
- t6 i8 I. }% K/ e8 a* U> 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
/ @+ e. F% }) c# |1 M0 ~/ x> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
3 h" z; e1 h- I4 x> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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) R+ W4 A8 s6 z0 `: O> 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
! U! |7 v$ g: x1 [> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
) Q" O9 f3 q. r( u! S1 f. x: O" A> 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
' t2 r4 f) K$ Q> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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8 L* f' x6 ?* Y/ E1 x> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 N$ r/ v8 G3 O  j9 d' N) v7 D> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
# K& J$ |- ^$ W( {1 [0 U> 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
# t! s  B& \( D: i> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 z/ _; h9 O/ F/ ~0 f; U! z$ 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
. n4 [1 V0 H! g! M> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
; z* I' x8 Z  C2 a: p8 C, v> 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
$ `, _0 h7 @  m6 _: R8 k5 u; j> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
( n7 |; v& S1 o! U4 [6 N+ ~> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
9 ]% _4 t) F( M; r2 _* V> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
5 i5 P# ?  u3 _' F" d: r& [> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ ?  `5 f2 T) d& F2 \7 u> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
" q. ]4 s1 z- o- \9 B> 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.
8 G; c) g5 X. K> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' a6 `7 @" p" a1 _- [. {9 ^> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
5 r9 m) @1 @: _- N- L, u' v% h> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
; i' J5 p4 _/ J. T> 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
) L3 R" ?0 X: m7 y> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
7 W5 T. a% @( H6 p5 N( O) D3 s> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) H: M* M) k: u; P. q, [> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
5 N( k% A2 ?3 q> 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
/ D- h5 t* @  X4 C2 `3 Q> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
% L1 t3 `, H# i# s> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
# _2 k: s1 X% m( _( ]7 l# ], U> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
8 q8 F4 s* o( e9 x2 N/ }> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
' |. o9 B2 j' ^& q9 \> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
. t( T  N% ?0 g0 J> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 b1 j; z. f! z> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
( U* D: @  p9 L4 t4 ?) u& J2 ]$ u> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 P8 p: o! t8 t1 H2 p> 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
+ J( r: H3 J9 O9 i: e7 g: `& R+ M, G) L> game for his team.
>
1 r0 e! M/ E5 q* n( t> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
7 X( m' v2 G( J6 \' l/ J1 S> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
5 Z6 b' d. j1 M& Q' D1 Q> into this world'.
1 p" ?) S" h/ j& M3 {>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 {3 s& S3 b$ [> 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
! }2 x: [  `' E. Y" x( l> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
" w1 M. f! I/ P" W; V0 ]> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
- E" v1 S& H  ?7 I- b' H# A> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
2 H. O5 J. `2 `3 R>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
7 ]4 P  I6 I0 z) ^> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
& V7 d4 p& O% J> '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
/ F  Y; Z) D2 b4 Z2 s3 d1 ]9 v; i> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
: E7 F7 Z4 f# K; ^. R5 w# [> 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
/ h( r4 K7 q4 D1 z& H! g> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
' {* a" h  P5 \  ]$ d) o: t> 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:
$ Z; S3 m8 k" Y4 [. h$ Q> 1. Delete
; g6 Y' c, O4 K7 Z> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.