Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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7 H3 F8 u! Q+ \0 k+ P- Q# `! G3 B- {) M' j> 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
0 ?" I2 ^* Q$ L9 a> 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
& q4 s/ `1 L8 v) V" O> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
- e; r, W% a* N6 g> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 \8 v0 G  ]) j( _0 R> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
* R4 o6 v) q7 f$ k) G. h# H! }6 G> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
5 ~  G) U/ d5 i+ a2 H> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
" [% \' L3 |7 g7 d+ y% y2 F> treat that child.'
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$ m4 W3 H& Q: u  f' C+ g> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
5 o! P" P* S  ]+ F! p8 S> 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
, _" u! w# U& C! u& J6 X> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
; |: h8 z) R, G' w8 U> 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
4 S$ |8 Q# s) V; k4 T) o! I  @> inning.'
>
: b  N5 n  f& z; k% L, h> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
( ~' h: @! f- R" 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
, m  C' L' X4 |1 I; o> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
! _" C9 d1 |! E! r  e> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
5 J9 W: v' c8 k0 ~& d0 J> 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,
& p+ p# Q' B8 j" l> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
! ^1 ~0 P$ h7 \> 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) _; B/ k1 F- A6 m* Z2 z1 O> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
1 t& h; J3 @1 S& e> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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9 E1 U& W0 K, L6 D: J- E  O/ q9 E) }+ _> 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
# r& V2 Q: E, ~- a6 t- y3 L+ }( b> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
* f" ?1 `- B9 d8 E& x- E% [' |> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 h  p' C, |4 T3 a- p> 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
; s7 h. b! ~; K3 a. Z> 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,
& T- ]' X4 l9 T4 Q; b) ~* x> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
; I+ Q7 V6 i  e> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
% t9 g( I& o0 C) C5 Y> circled the bases toward home.
>
( X2 y% b# B* y6 C& V0 Z8 V+ U9 l> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
2 \# B1 Z, T* l. r> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
2 }' o: W2 |! m) d> '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
/ A/ `9 G  s- [- E  a" r% b> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 c3 V' k& [% ?" N/ ^% e' i1 C> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
' i3 s" [: j: F' }9 m  J6 {> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
! Z; |4 |, g. i) M3 X' ^> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
# q" I+ B2 R7 W> 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
0 S% E- l( m1 @* W# B' R3 y  j> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
8 c5 p  o" y  T5 ?9 ^> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
. z2 L  ~" b4 P4 [+ l* B2 q+ p3 E" q( [> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% d8 p" d/ p, f& y> 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
+ a/ u& B; R, f! x. ~: N9 y; i> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
: g# A: f+ Z9 e/ G> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
5 F. W+ ~& u& t> 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?
>
! q9 D5 w* u5 Z5 c  {& {6 V> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
( X4 H$ I. I- ~> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
) Y/ n! o+ l/ A" o" I  o, B5 J> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.