Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
, R& y0 J( f9 T) g4 [# ?; d> 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
5 G" i" z/ d' c5 |$ C1 H5 t> same choice?
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6 ?1 J$ C4 j' T! ^> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# m7 C  t8 n! T; w  F& D> 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
  I8 a! l7 u# S1 u0 q# y> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 C% o; H0 l2 N4 ]# K; f6 s> 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
6 `( F5 D0 ]! y> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
6 B1 f: Q* m1 r+ G* v. c> 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
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 u4 {/ Z4 L$ U7 n5 v( L; ?> 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
, `' x& m9 S9 p9 @7 j- @5 t. \> 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.
>
4 M; q" z) L4 K: S6 T$ m> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 ?2 _5 u2 n' V" D> 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
- {, P9 A/ ?3 o/ R, K8 I1 Y' Z: A> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
, G0 B- U8 \/ u: @1 i6 G> inning.'
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- J2 V" v$ z9 c. N> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
; ~# J; {* n2 ^; m> 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
9 s% G; x; b0 E> 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
# Q" {0 A! E. V) A4 V* [7 K> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
! V; Y# V1 s$ ~/ C> 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
> 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.
" q9 B8 m1 n6 X> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
. }! ?0 {8 O9 U/ Y> 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
  N$ A+ f8 @: R! G> 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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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: ~0 A. W. p5 C0 ~; j# ^# m& ]> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
' ^: l/ u& \4 w9 Y) Q, s> 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
; B; L+ h7 W2 ?) ?  P7 z/ q" W> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
. s7 D% s! y, t. g5 X> wide-eyed and startled.
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8 y; L8 x4 ?3 {( n6 j> 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
1 X% {6 H# |, b> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
! ]% A' @; D( a2 [- @8 |7 B> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
9 }) `  P6 M7 f* ]1 ~% Q' J> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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  S! H! e& v& w> 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!
/ c2 E5 O6 \. y: F( _- W> Shay, run to third!'
>
1 b8 p$ u  c" Q0 p> 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
1 A3 r( _2 U3 }/ r! A6 `> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
! ^2 F! J5 C, ]) U' {0 G# K> game for his team.
>
) M& [" d1 W! `: W( f6 t> '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
: s4 m" l* i5 v7 Z9 I9 \# i- ~2 D> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: g; W/ ^9 d& }. ~> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
  ^! q2 n; u) [& m$ c  h8 `> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
0 Z' q9 O) g5 [- ~% E> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  ^& m" {* q; A) o, o% H> 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
$ Q& D1 A2 _8 d9 _0 X: p> 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
# a+ |) L+ M) n) O' }3 g& `> 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
8 [5 A& x7 }9 d1 R  M> 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?
% C7 e3 B/ Q- E# y9 i  s9 k>
2 D- G" t. c% m/ u5 A* G2 @> A wise man once said every society is judged by
/ _2 U1 L  H8 e> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 I8 a) i6 C- n' Y> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.