Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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# |1 l0 Y; w9 I! O$ l> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  \' m  ?, e4 N. x> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
6 c( N  M% Q; t4 U) ^> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
- ~6 p0 l0 g! z  ]3 o& [* O# S> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
1 p  W4 I& R) ^' @) I> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
6 a' m: r/ f3 P# u* s) p- c) ?7 q( s> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 z# S' U# C! M" K" B> 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
+ B7 @$ C8 H3 }* |> natural order of things in my son?'
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3 u/ N8 e% x( Q" m. m% n7 B> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
  z, J! g% G: P' S' k5 [> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
- S- ~6 I: K: d4 x; d> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
4 e# m  K9 _2 N$ i2 a) r. c> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
/ R9 T8 a' A6 ~6 Q7 X> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
& `1 j) h: C7 [8 l# P0 r" b> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
" B& }! e/ u% [; ?> 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
0 T1 E+ O- {3 U2 B5 n% o& y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
3 H8 w& ^1 u1 `> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
; n6 U6 i6 F  f9 O. q> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 q, `6 W" [* C5 D0 @8 H) c: S> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
% _# B+ Q. x! ]7 D3 v9 q& b  b5 q> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
1 x: s2 {2 v* U3 M% Z. g+ I* S> 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
! E1 I9 m0 `0 e) }) x' @/ O5 N> 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.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
0 r2 O) A( o) _4 M7 ^8 z+ y> 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,
4 p# C+ b6 c6 f2 B% r' R6 L> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 M  u, F, _7 D- p8 Y7 _0 H> 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
> 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.
! p/ [$ q1 w8 B6 |6 l> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
% z9 w7 {  F. b4 {3 m/ ^3 O> 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
' m, J  b8 G: a+ f. c! S> 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
6 K. r  F1 d( R> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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" t1 u" V8 ^' F8 [> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ f6 ~2 ^! e, t3 [+ m> 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
3 o* L; R% N6 J' o6 E> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
( I1 Z0 q, f7 i5 d  q/ V( 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
: a+ S0 a! h( l6 i$ s> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
, j2 S- u: j7 T& Q' k! M> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
% J7 I  \, W% D4 l& |5 z> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
  j$ I. }1 C$ U: {> Shay, run to third!'
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3 D- v3 g) f' m; c> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
( k. D* Y3 k) d/ T5 j3 o> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
! Z( m3 A% b& ]! o: c9 d5 G> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
% c- k" S( g& E% f; D- \& Y* @1 ^> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
! ]# G5 X* Q: j) m: `> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
% T' j" A* p/ z: a! g7 b: v> 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
' c2 u' a* P/ b8 _! l! w7 _> 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
8 z  m- }) V1 @1 f! s! x4 N> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" r& g( i7 b5 Z> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
( N' F/ i$ f2 h4 Q> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
9 [/ N' c& _, o9 s. z5 N> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
% K/ `" f" y# l( V; a7 U9 c% K> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 x9 D& S* g, K% x4 E6 `> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
! B3 C# k% T+ c) U/ w0 Y+ I> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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6 h7 }$ ]( _3 s1 f7 |> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
. m8 I6 ?  e2 e7 C6 |5 V> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.