Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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6 L$ E: e3 K$ U  M: g> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
4 n# `, o% [- m0 q* J> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
& K  \2 t$ P3 i$ @> same choice?
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- J/ V* C1 @" O/ n/ t> 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
% c$ T& L# ~7 ~1 ], h8 Z0 _1 Z> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- _5 j4 v9 }7 l# d" m> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 F. }& G( `/ e* e/ J* C> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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0 O" q' j% v% N9 k1 d> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
0 K  I: V8 m1 H" J" \> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
- q( f3 S5 ], X> 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:
>
9 q% B0 F1 z4 l3 @> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
" L0 ~& c9 T! v' C* K7 l> 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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! ?! e4 \+ v7 J# k9 M( i8 H7 p> 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
" \" p/ E+ t1 U6 ?2 v5 L1 j* X> inning.'
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' W& W/ _5 T+ e" W; x  ~: a8 P> 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
' e6 {; z5 W( p  Z# g- h> 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
! s3 i) V. G0 `$ m/ s9 u> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
4 T8 s! T: b* m& g> 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
- P- P' y7 X) G; o1 _8 V* L5 V' ]> 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
4 s) ~9 Q7 K4 n& n1 G$ ?( q) J> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
# c9 Y) ^$ g2 B" _> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
0 r+ S2 K( R& _' {5 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
9 ^; R5 y8 j7 b6 w& m> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
- Q7 n( J) R9 q8 ]9 q- X> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
2 ]8 \+ D- i$ n7 Q# M% L> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
3 R4 M6 x7 z4 Y' H; g1 r5 T> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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- P6 [4 ~( \% T" G1 c$ S; G: Y4 v> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
& H/ l8 |4 I5 j: I% `> 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
/ g% D& x5 u9 w> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
1 g& J2 |/ c+ v4 m> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* \. V  @: v& O0 j> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 }  m2 X! k. P: e* V> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
2 U/ K% r1 ?' g5 R> 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
7 P7 Z' }$ f% `5 R3 x8 `! k> 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'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
1 S/ r- t2 a7 j; H! I6 q8 k> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
# Y% {- x' B) Q, b9 m! s6 y> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 U: b& r: o. K3 c1 K# W5 |: z> 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
> 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
; N# j/ S- Z7 q: ]> into this world'.
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* i# ^4 E  X) e. a7 z' A> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' T2 c0 r" N8 N$ y9 ^> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
9 U4 G1 |6 _: H) S' p0 v! q2 I> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
) D' F6 s- @% Q" W5 }> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
- ]- T. d$ u) N" R8 e> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
* G  w4 `  D- W: K. Z) {8 D# _> 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
> 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
' U3 A8 t( p( l; A> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 w2 Y1 {: q: }* W1 p; x; C( v> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
: o/ Q4 v9 u9 Y0 H0 J, b5 v. v> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
: K6 O) u: a" B6 m> 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?
>
# b* Q! m& @6 \: L0 l. x( F, l> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; B1 M, K  ~) L0 |> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.