Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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! m# u' J2 i& Y% U7 x> 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?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
& l8 `7 o  m* \# A> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
! e1 m- z( W$ L7 e6 @/ `3 K. Z+ i/ x> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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3 I) Y* f% W4 d8 n0 i> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
( D$ _9 L: K3 e$ Z* U  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
; D( ^; t! j, r> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
0 l; a' M' \3 t1 c$ j> treat that child.'
>
/ S) U% C$ J' j7 ^1 p> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
! p( p, V( k1 s) V. ~5 p3 U> 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
2 B# H, N0 C0 D( \2 X> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
' P7 I4 ]* l* W3 d) g. C4 d3 p% u> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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# ^* p! K$ u2 e: z2 g> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
$ G, p2 h3 n/ s% R2 w% [> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
( g. Y# L& }) R7 r" S( M> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
$ {+ ]# U# B1 y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
, M5 u. j; m: R7 V9 @0 @> inning.'
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2 G# s% ^) c3 L7 d7 f> 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
> 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
1 i7 T  r. A% t! J( ]- ?6 n: [> 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
5 s) k) O( h! u* D2 e& ?> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
: f# \7 @2 p7 J6 z% }> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
; H, d# {4 N" Y5 m3 M& d> 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
. `' E; ~+ ^( D2 i3 b- v$ d/ h> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
, @" V$ V. q% ]2 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,
; c5 U- X; S! ^1 g% H> much less connect with the ball.
1 A4 L2 e# K. ~1 ~> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, ?# f! L6 `: i& x> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
' K) f9 w5 {; v& A% a1 {> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
) {( Z4 f1 L. U  V5 L> 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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4 v. f0 l+ y7 i" j9 H9 O- G> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
% A# X$ a; \0 q( M* X> 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ q  `5 \# g  P0 E1 q> 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
8 q5 J5 M0 x7 _! b3 x) k> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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3 y3 ~# h/ w7 m  y; ?7 @( U: Y> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
; I4 D$ i$ k% d0 W/ n  D& }> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
( m9 b* [3 L7 i7 [/ k, y& u* d> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
/ x$ l" m! n; p3 Y0 ?5 w* u> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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( s+ l# F9 u' u% a" b$ n9 U> 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!
5 X% W/ _; E: @6 L2 F( S> Shay, run to third!'
>
5 u' v" W' [- 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
6 e+ v/ P3 j3 ]- P2 D> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> 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
7 p5 C/ E$ S+ d- _1 y* P0 l> into this world'.
>
: m4 c3 I7 \$ ~' o# D1 R> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 W* x8 L- S3 ^" R# F, m> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
% W! q: {4 P) p. g4 W# p> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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" V( g% v& n4 X/ b) Q> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  _0 h0 S3 s0 M; u. F> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
6 H0 _0 }7 y4 B7 J. F1 l+ s> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
8 _# i% |8 q$ h. e* H> 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
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
) e& \, @& `3 ]" Z3 q, X3 P* p2 L> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
- z) E' h0 C( w& t> 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
+ x& |* M9 [4 o( U1 \/ h. O( J> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
% ?7 b. E8 C7 N. a3 A7 k> 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?
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7 C+ o1 s0 x9 c$ |> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
$ p; V$ S$ e5 D: M* ]3 D/ g> 1. Delete
% n8 O$ \/ ^5 z( o> 2. Forward
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! f3 {! r+ G. d' J> May your day, be a Shay Day.