Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
: L" x: i/ q' K% |8 M4 K. I1 v>
! u0 T/ l. Z/ Z- J8 U1 d" R( R> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
# m! k5 J, f9 U> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
7 c+ ], N' J& G>
> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
! h/ s8 S9 N/ Z> staff, he offered a question:
>
0 D5 Y8 j. N# Y> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 F9 K2 V8 F+ H, u8 @: R> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
: ^: Y2 T4 R4 t>
( r/ w1 C) O8 j: M> 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
) {& U- q( _6 r- d6 R2 |> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
. u# E& P2 p5 T. _0 p8 V> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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,
: i% l  D7 s$ Q- F" w3 ~> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
: H0 ~" {8 F( t! b: U. }7 F>
5 ^+ q0 p0 x7 U" V0 m6 y7 w  }> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' ?5 c& Z$ \' j) g> 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
8 I2 ]  v  A4 e+ U) {> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 k5 I6 T4 B: B4 M7 c0 D> 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
3 C) `: t" S3 |6 g) l" p: I  E> 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
3 A, d& @  r/ F2 Y, J( h> 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
7 P5 m/ {. F/ r* Z  S> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
. {) T) Q8 }$ F! V1 s6 J> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
. J' g" T8 L8 g: `1 A/ w> 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
" A2 j% f5 @8 K8 S6 o> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
4 g/ q9 |! i' {3 R9 G. Y> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
% N8 m8 u, q+ N> 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
> 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.
. g) J4 f1 l, U  b, K> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) v/ Y' B2 e! a/ G, r> right back to the pitcher.
>
/ V3 E- j( m3 S" O1 D# f+ l( R3 ^> 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
4 s' \7 }- x9 O5 W5 U> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> 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
2 V! Q+ @) l: X> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
! `% D( j' Z+ t8 n) }# S> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
. ~" [  a9 Z( U, ^8 W: q8 @3 J>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
& }3 h# z# _% ]1 U+ y2 ]0 n> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
: l) M! M+ s) ^  `> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; g2 Y# j0 E. ~' }- Q> 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
> 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
6 u! c$ J* V" H0 J8 H3 u( N> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
2 N; |  o# t& n> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
9 e+ q, ]6 O9 ^$ J4 y. j: a> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
* k8 R- B% W- \! \8 h* c' T9 U> Shay, run to third!'
! v3 ]  A( ]- P>
# y$ Y. [# r6 Y. I, S> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 I) J3 C  K3 B: ]. X3 ~> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
+ [2 M/ `0 B0 Z: e! I- c5 n4 e> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
: y& z, u. e5 K6 }7 F> game for his team.
>
3 U) d* z% \$ t& V. A) Q! }> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
! B$ N7 [' I2 h1 M* Q2 T3 L7 g, |> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
' y. I, O' u3 B) g2 y% n# L) |> into this world'.
>
/ q- }# o9 b# b- `! ?$ e! l> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
8 c9 I# C! q4 S# t+ y- q- X> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
7 z8 J+ }3 ^3 H6 T+ u> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
( p* m+ v1 i/ j/ J. P3 Y; u>
" J2 D* _" \8 {1 J  u7 s> 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
+ X3 C" W" R9 g' G2 ^0 r& j  ~> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
2 `  C( `$ V6 x) u5 h> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% n. j! p3 U* D; l> 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
( t6 Z' j8 B# q* D, E> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
- ~9 a  K  d8 V2 n: @% c  A* X> 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
+ k, a9 w( f% x. h) B> 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
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
* E4 j/ U8 j% d, Z> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
. k; S' J4 ?3 ^>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.