Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
4 e+ Y0 n2 T& n! _' P>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
( ~" A' a0 [' H$ X> 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,
% c9 C, D+ b4 t5 f& Q> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
) Y- ?& A1 c& Q, c: P% f& [> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
* P% v1 h$ O8 Y> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
5 K/ w( ?! t& i/ d/ S) C> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 B# L$ d+ P$ ^" w. l4 Q: a> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
+ W3 V" z+ \7 c6 s8 _8 ~5 Z> treat that child.'
>
8 L& V4 @/ m5 r8 r5 w8 E> Then he told the following story:
0 u; y! k& D' h2 k>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
* j7 P0 e$ T/ X> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
( \$ Z3 L* W- H! I> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
9 y) |0 Y7 u6 G$ N! D, z  C, B> 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.
2 B  E- n  _8 t2 ?) p3 z4 m: n>
> 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
& T' [& W; W- G# `> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
6 D! ^8 {: y) I" W8 m  W6 S>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# r% g& w% B  ]" c: z7 v4 \2 z> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
% \) u/ `; G  u9 }' s5 s2 ]> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
+ V; Z) M8 D( k5 L> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
5 q# ?1 Z, V2 K1 s, q! `) a> 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
. z- _* ~. u  l- c2 |- m0 c, X> 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
> 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.
8 h! o% }7 ]; g, i>
; ^& U- z- l4 J2 \/ d& z% I8 m" H> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
5 Y5 n" f" l  y1 n- x% X. v> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
3 C2 V. t$ i* ?  ~> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
) K7 F  ?' ^' v) g8 c: o> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
; l5 H2 |3 R2 l> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
8 p& @2 S. \) {( @, |> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
$ k7 f7 C1 ]: J6 f# ?% I> 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.
1 B! b/ Q* o$ U/ ]& L* T' G> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
$ ?6 K' \" O/ M# ?' a5 t# E> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
, _$ G  y' S: j& E> 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
> 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
7 Z1 N) g1 G; ~  V( u& F> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
) `& R6 {( z& U; w9 T3 `0 ^) ^( n>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 I2 v8 `' S- Q% t' N> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; b& ?" o1 I8 r' z% p  \8 g) d> 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
2 J" ?- b# c, f> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
0 c# {4 s. P; K" F5 D> 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
- u9 ?6 \" B  [4 x5 z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
3 b5 `  t* {1 ?3 `& M>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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
' z) B' ]2 W1 o4 b3 H1 y. r> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
, I  m4 R# y& n8 b! R> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
$ f3 T) y  u! |$ q$ H" Z- K2 u0 a! i> 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'.
# S7 V& z4 k0 c/ P: [>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
9 R- p% L7 z. c9 {- ?' o6 e0 B> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
- \9 z5 ?1 a1 g* v* D" l, \' d> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
> 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
! E3 c7 F0 O$ p4 ]7 p> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
+ \) U7 K7 u2 ^: O/ g>
$ S1 i8 x* Y$ T> 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
. e3 @! k; ~+ u3 A/ \3 E8 Q" [> '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
8 Z" r. C& i/ [  y* ^3 G1 x> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
4 I+ _& I: m3 t4 s0 F> bit colder in the process?
2 w+ F7 X7 u* y8 x>
) }3 {& j2 R0 g# ]5 L> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
* i: Z. I9 g/ h: M6 x" i>
7 A- E* C- Q5 l* Q2 ^1 e> You now have two choices:
; q  m8 w* e6 _5 h5 r+ f6 K> 1. Delete
1 O' v8 \" B& M4 Z> 2. Forward
& \/ Q5 m" X4 y  K4 |4 n3 q( a>
: o( z2 M" W3 S8 l8 v: g> May your day, be a Shay Day.