Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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9 i7 o; l7 F+ p7 x7 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
$ k7 h1 V, Z5 h* z> same choice?
>
" _& L, M/ B, Z  o: U, E> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# X$ ~; ~2 C9 s, R1 |% O> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
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# O9 [( [/ [" T1 Z+ i6 H/ A% W> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
5 D0 F% W9 l, P> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' K, C, e) A* c  B# m> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
  h, J" g4 _8 \" s> 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
6 L8 F: K% L2 i: Z> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
4 T" o3 Y  f3 w3 e8 {> 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
. |  C* R+ B+ t; R> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
+ g' n5 v& S2 g& [; Q> 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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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
8 }" M$ H. S" R; B1 o& A" [> 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
8 l' V9 F1 a% U4 ^> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! R" |  k  g) W  P' [" z> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
8 R0 U$ x7 x4 _  E* \( _+ S6 Y> 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 |: R  z* r, c2 F  U> 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
  b* s3 N5 P& B  E6 m> 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
- @% r8 O; o/ Z! z> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
4 T  q% m' j  I1 x8 Y" ^> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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: ^, `, M  W- i7 [' _> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  `. I0 j2 r+ G> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
; m6 F* m* W% m5 B1 J; q> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
$ \% K" K8 p$ m& V> much less connect with the ball.
4 `# S# Q: v/ v! A" l2 F> 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
> 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.
> 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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) L/ m4 h5 c, Y3 q* K4 \$ j> 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
> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
# @; [( t! T6 C$ |1 P- o> wide-eyed and startled.
>
+ t$ A2 N3 D: H2 @  P> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
+ \4 u# J& I7 @* P4 _: c5 C' d. Q: u> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
5 e" G- _6 w# j$ W+ B+ O. W* z> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
" s) |7 F6 h' o) c: H; d1 J: Y> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
0 v' A- t4 J! z! ~' S4 m> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
' S7 ~3 y+ C! ~/ K: s> 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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! T( R2 D' a" |* A& O> 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
0 M8 |, Y4 I- h/ C9 P7 O' Q  U> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
* g5 @# x" }$ ~- q  k. s9 I! s> 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
> game for his team.
>
* M  C: N# ]0 }4 l+ {! m9 r; B> '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
8 W- ]0 S" a% L+ p> into this world'.
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0 X& h1 u- [# K" ?  x  W" U> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
5 c4 q8 p& s. {6 \* w. L> 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
0 v9 [9 V, w2 R( i+ g" _> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
> '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
4 q" T- |2 k$ d' [3 d- r( p3 b& \> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! r: `% ]1 r3 M. K2 ?* u6 X> 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?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
5 [+ x+ ?/ j4 ~2 Z3 c5 y' @. t; A2 T> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
" X' S. q6 r3 I$ v1 i> May your day, be a Shay Day.