Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
: J& f  e& s, c% t2 h. m4 G5 G8 E> 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?
>
+ T5 ?3 G9 [! h> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ U/ ~" d: A* Y/ @, Z: E6 ^1 [> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
7 O: q+ d9 A' a) D6 C6 Q> 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
2 I' U" y* D1 F6 e+ J) f> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
( O+ s4 @1 I3 z9 R>
% p6 ]+ F1 V2 p& j> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
& p' \: P; I0 g2 j4 {. D. M> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
- C8 W! i% W7 }& p$ ?> treat that child.'
# Q* m5 h) j& i# `>
> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; O5 }0 q( G: X8 Z8 S, ]> 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
! r  T& K: v3 L1 \> 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
$ z( }. Q" B4 Z! O& ?6 J> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
4 W5 Q( i7 ]9 A  ^/ v>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 x1 @) B8 q" v/ S> 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
& G8 j2 E5 {3 |- i+ X; p> inning.'
3 b8 G- {3 m. N2 w>
! u) t2 g4 A# g9 j$ c# c> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! s& v; L) C& e) e% L: f! \7 [> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
8 I: ]# e; J* @# z1 v> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
7 z' F7 L, O5 k, U# ?* E> 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
3 W: m/ O+ U, r> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
& t/ |4 R9 S. ~: D6 n( q> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
( h- K  [9 v+ D: T> 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
% c$ Q+ o6 `: j2 K1 ~( i> next at bat.
>
> 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.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
% y5 R) |6 _; x" [. E, Z> 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.
$ c8 I+ r, b/ a  o; w) H* ?9 f> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 {& s6 `. N1 @> right back to the pitcher.
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# s0 s1 g4 K$ k0 t> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
2 q4 l% g+ }5 D2 i$ Y' O' x3 c> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
9 A3 {/ n0 o5 |> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
+ p3 K" {; M1 g: Z5 h: b. J9 C> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
3 b9 `4 \: B* L' Y& c" q> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
: b2 S) u. I) W$ g: P( ]> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
3 Z3 Q$ b1 a; j9 ~> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
- x5 T7 @6 b- o4 v$ ]> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, p/ R# r. Q0 H$ l; f4 U> 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
+ P7 n$ N" {. v- U) B3 c0 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
4 ?5 S5 `, O* @; H8 p( C> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
0 \( |! @4 m+ X; f! S> circled the bases toward home.
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* U& c# \% K0 L> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
4 U1 \9 ~! \% |- a& J( W: P: Z>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
5 z$ I" t. |8 y* x; |; S  T! z> 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
9 Q. p7 C" m) K/ G: D1 Y2 l" k> 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
0 n4 X" l6 z/ V4 O7 V0 k> 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
* K' p  L/ ]# R% L0 s> into this world'.
>
% p" |7 y1 f7 o: N8 v> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
& p, _3 k9 T( M; F4 ~7 a! P" R> 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!
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8 s' B, T& @3 i$ x& F$ ^> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
. ?& p! q+ D# m) J8 K5 b7 [( S> 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
* }/ W/ `* F4 k& r" Z> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
/ Z' x  e1 z5 J$ N6 U>
> 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
: P) B! H. k; a. {8 x> '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
5 o; R7 r; f" M! D/ h> 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
$ m$ p2 S8 i  B& P8 c$ N> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
0 {+ I$ h0 b0 z" _$ ^5 O# w>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
' |. A" z$ K5 V% m> You now have two choices:
5 e% ?5 l% J7 P> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
" ]3 D8 V3 F- {& |. o, e: r) y5 S> May your day, be a Shay Day.