Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
! R! _; ~- K! h: R3 U2 Y> 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
> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
8 s1 N- i, j( ?( m' j> staff, he offered a question:
>
, c2 k" E* w! t; V: \> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: z/ n7 n1 ^% I! x3 z& O. i* K> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 l' }/ U0 i0 q. M8 B+ k> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
7 L5 t3 K5 f/ N: m7 n> natural order of things in my son?'
>
5 z8 {! u9 f/ e# k  B; c$ x" q> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 L: S4 d/ A7 H; h> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 i+ ^( r, H( n7 e> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
# e% \2 o9 H2 s/ ^& }2 @( B> 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
) v4 v: f& A4 @( J) L+ r1 J3 \$ F& r> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
+ q- ?8 l5 X/ G% |) J4 A: [9 |> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
; w/ q% l) Z( I5 Y9 n, q( u> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
, U* w' ~9 z5 O7 ?/ h' n> 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
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
4 o& f9 _5 {& x2 d( _2 _> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
/ \$ f+ Q- E1 b. T7 L: H> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
  B+ a8 D) t" i( r> inning.'
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> 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
" H+ Y. K3 _( }6 d) ~4 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
> 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
# ]6 W2 ]* H1 V6 _6 @( l> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
  l5 E- A3 {9 u% Q; R* q> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
4 X, u2 ~) u' M+ h& p; p% M> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
> 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
4 B5 ^4 S% b- _% d5 u. V+ I> 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,
  N$ Y2 {6 B' Q9 Y, h* i> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 M$ C& ^& q6 n> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
5 ?: t9 G+ O$ D: D0 F) o7 ]> 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
2 ]9 c- `7 X- c1 K1 p- K> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
4 h4 E5 P0 b2 Z, j3 ?7 v1 Q' c, A> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
' E# F5 R5 N9 {  ]4 E! K5 j2 x> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 s! E3 X1 b' q# Y* e> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
4 I) I( r& Z- w+ g( w> 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
; M$ _) Q% F5 o2 q1 S4 G/ ]> 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,
: |1 ]+ t8 \- e/ W" s8 V> wide-eyed and startled.
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> 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
9 j! i( v& e" r/ x( ~% h2 a# {2 e6 \> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
% _* o1 C) V4 X  C> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
, [% Y& _! Q4 V3 Z) Q> 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
) M' b. o; ^# x& q8 e' |> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
5 G/ @" I; Y0 K' l> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
. L% t  k  h$ ?( Q8 Y. x> 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!'
>
> 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
6 m( F7 B9 k  G, h: R0 `1 b# z% U> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
- G+ B; l  O+ |' I4 C> game for his team.
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6 m6 q, O- y2 n7 T$ i3 a( [9 u+ Y- e> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 O5 j# i& l$ ], r+ I# i- }  s> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
  F( o' j- n5 S+ x7 `9 a" M8 w> into this world'.
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# H: |3 i, U  I7 ?- @2 i> 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
- M$ U3 F; ^' U* V+ U> 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
  S  Y0 E8 j0 Z% M0 G/ V0 A. B> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
4 f% T4 v2 v$ v( n9 o' K9 t; \> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 c& \& O- N$ o6 w8 m2 X0 K> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
- P, z/ p0 J6 M0 D0 `8 `; v1 L8 t> '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
- R: g; v+ j* l  a4 D> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
4 e" Q+ h0 A3 {> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
( K# M2 c% O) _+ }' F> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* ?5 m8 J3 r7 b> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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0 t2 L8 V  v; H8 p  _+ N/ O+ q> May your day, be a Shay Day.