Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
" j- N1 L" h, B> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
& s: J/ l" y# D) @1 r> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
$ @) {0 D* B% n, Y. k, q> same choice?
>
' Z) l( a1 y+ K; t7 F> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
6 v4 W3 \" j* P>
, w# T7 H% E1 N6 w7 |0 U4 w8 }> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
; q, v5 U: l6 v, l+ b6 P> natural order of things in my son?'
4 M. Y. }& V/ d  h>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
7 w5 P9 m% E( b) w* S7 t0 l> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# W5 P4 F% ~/ d/ l6 r> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
& [* B! r* }1 w4 y5 d$ m' }% k>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# `& U0 c  h; W* @> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
9 c9 T7 Q9 l4 Q' B7 G9 X8 z+ u> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
% A% U4 w4 a/ a' j! p! \> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
4 n$ ]7 A7 X4 W, V1 i  J>
> 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
> 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
> inning.'
>
/ W8 c) e8 Z3 B5 ]> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 q" {& b8 K  w6 y> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
1 v  [: i+ }. k" {> 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
+ X# Y7 d6 W* `( W4 h> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
! L( e' y1 C2 Y) V" B$ s+ L> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
/ z8 d$ Y5 P* n- w> 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.
* H/ U8 {  |/ v) i! f. w7 T>
  X# S. g! B/ a> 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.
; @6 ^! O  J% B  x9 l7 D. R1 l6 h0 Q> 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
& f, v9 D9 d+ A# L  H> 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 @' b, a- m- _8 _3 F8 o, i$ [4 s> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
- y- g' m: R* X7 [. Q> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
  {- M5 `8 D  W7 |6 L6 b+ j/ A2 D. A>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
  K0 y0 S6 S6 q- _> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
. b1 R, H7 n+ R- ^; Z) G& d> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
) Q0 X9 |" {% s/ k> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
! X8 O0 T# J% Y! g> wide-eyed and startled.
7 ]  F& _- M- K/ I! e>
  E: ?- I4 l. G" H> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
+ G, Q* a2 Z. p3 g> 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
7 K3 K9 J4 N! X& D3 i# y> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
7 {, d$ V3 h, A0 a  b& l( n> 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,
> 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
0 u8 d+ b0 T) C* U/ |> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
; @! ?! U3 Q6 x/ B>
  ?: g" h5 V* ?, W; P2 h' a6 w> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
1 b! z6 s& e/ f/ c> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
# b# Z0 @9 g1 h4 R: P+ e4 m, ?> Shay, run to third!'
; v6 g  r3 c! r0 a5 @$ r>
5 H2 o+ D& }) M$ ~$ m> 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
: D5 ?% h6 |# S* S: y> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  ~/ v! @) w3 j# \5 _> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
>
4 Y' }9 w! U/ ^$ P, P0 M> 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
9 o, ]4 |0 {) C1 H4 j% E+ {> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
( {( r8 B$ X6 v> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
; M8 j8 B1 E7 ~- [2 t3 a  t: J> 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.
0 K- [& o) S8 P>
3 o% F( [6 J) s4 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
. ^) c1 X: `& B% q> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
) [- `. g* z% v: M4 G& V0 J  U> 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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
7 Z5 Q  @4 @0 A3 L) j+ R7 x2 L> 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
4 a- h; N6 A. K. t- _> bit colder in the process?
; H7 V7 R5 n& w+ ]' g3 O& f; f>
8 n  ^' Y8 }# K# t  |> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 n7 R; Z# p' c> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
4 \6 W2 R/ ?) R! L> 2. Forward
  [! I* V; i& L>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.