Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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3 L' b9 p0 A' o, q> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
" ~" [" O8 F. U2 J> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
  y9 W( v3 A( X  [* {: F> 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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5 w8 F3 `( ?6 ]$ s0 ~- P3 G> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
2 \% Y& i4 [2 p! q; D* m1 i> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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+ @! l4 `  P  ^7 @/ W+ m3 u: t1 z6 ]> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
5 `( F: U9 r+ ]: }8 [: m7 ]> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: f1 s. F' i0 _0 v! x> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 H/ T9 ^& D; N7 N; c, l> treat that child.'
>
9 ~: p. B3 B/ n3 G4 C> 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
! a5 |: ^6 E0 I4 Z; W0 I" V2 z> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
# _8 S0 e% B5 J3 d5 ]> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ U6 q! b; H( S> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
) [. _2 R" B+ U  [; H$ v8 w> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& ]0 x& r2 o. [0 B> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
0 P) y* }& o* M& L# f> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
! M, Y) n/ A9 n3 N- t> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
$ a6 {" B7 a/ r5 N> 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
8 o6 s# D: H3 U% h4 P> 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
> 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
. `/ y# |- I8 p1 Y! ~> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
; c9 g4 Y3 q$ P3 C> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
' l  i* d( g, v( p; B> next at bat.
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> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
( h. ^7 |2 {7 c6 h& V> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
& T8 F9 S+ u* S8 _3 u% R' s% ?> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
2 O8 G8 f$ {' l. t> 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.
+ l, D8 A/ L: |* R5 a1 T; J> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
% f+ _0 p- R  p> right back to the pitcher.
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5 W' M6 U4 o" W" 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
7 a8 P) u  N/ d) f+ D> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ [+ H5 o! F) G2 V: B> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
. b" W% v) S( V8 e  \5 D> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
# H2 x. C4 k: z, S> wide-eyed and startled.
>
. ^; d/ y8 ?. |# [- L> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
, T, k  C" R# j& z6 V> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
* {/ G! @' r2 \$ ~' Z+ y> 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
2 K" K* y) W: U$ f: ?# \' ~# t> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
+ Z" K7 j. O% c$ y% q; n> Shay, run to third!'
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' p5 _/ X% Q. G5 Z> 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
% ^: D( Y/ b  T2 R! i> game for his team.
>
/ y  V, c1 b4 G: R% o( K> '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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# l/ @% A9 r: l; I  t  Z1 y> 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
: u8 b2 m. U+ F) @> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
: t) y0 ^- M6 }+ E8 o" ]. }# d8 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
0 d4 ]3 q5 D; v> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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- D; ~' _4 S# R> 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
, B$ Y. e( ]5 C1 A8 j6 L3 C  K/ @% l9 X> 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
9 }: M5 n) Y3 n> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
8 h/ ]/ _# Y7 P2 m" a' \> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
; s8 \! P  o" ^' S% J> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
, R! G+ t9 F; Z4 r1 g> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
) E; s% }2 y' K5 N" x& ?> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
* g) J$ j4 [$ @: ]0 x> 1. Delete
, W; ]5 @* ?  y$ i> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.