Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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; r( S) {1 u. Y. m) L1 Y7 Z( L# D> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ ?8 _. ?* i/ T, |" F8 [> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
5 f( y2 f. y& c# o. n> same choice?
>
. s2 f5 a5 g1 v2 Q! d2 Z8 v' |> 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
2 Q. V) m6 G! ?1 E. T, g- p> 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
8 D) n! x6 |! d& h> 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
0 o7 j7 ?) k8 y. H5 B9 W- c> natural order of things in my son?'
>
# e  E; F1 {2 A4 v' [> The audience was stilled by the query.
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- b  h9 J' x% A- o% f8 q$ o: [> 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
* e% i# g1 Z) s1 e. ^+ Y- i9 }; q> treat that child.'
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5 G5 j' a  f" W> Then he told the following story:
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' J3 D3 N/ S" N/ G> 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
) S, Y1 K' j1 q1 E/ x> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
( L' t, F6 W$ y1 c6 [; V2 |, \> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
: M+ O+ l( G$ N% g> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
+ M+ `0 J/ @7 e7 z+ P6 y" Y6 W> 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
; h1 b3 ], t5 R5 ^; Z! ?> inning.'
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8 i& \) ]! y+ v' L7 {- A& B> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
0 Q5 ]4 H: ^) H# V7 G4 G' C> 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
% X' k" R. w: m3 l) ^7 h& W% s$ }, g> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
9 {& y- J  C4 B. B8 |/ \5 }> 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
: w, S% b, D. |$ l, ?2 o# p> 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
, v" n9 i& r; G/ a0 ?% k2 K> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
* g5 t- A: G% m: a) c' S- w# u> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
3 K8 B  m: f3 C7 T& N+ d# a> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
* h6 s% @& s- [: I0 s5 v4 v> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
$ `" R4 [0 ^/ x9 j3 V% Z# s> 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
' K( w: b! H4 t' c# R> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
1 }6 \* U2 B3 ]" ~9 z' m6 U> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
6 a: f1 L. d: x6 W5 t+ y$ P& B2 V> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
; U4 e" O$ N' a5 J. R1 B( W> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
- X. I! s5 I, F7 y8 b3 i# {> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
/ D8 T0 m! f$ `3 L' E$ ?> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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7 x7 V9 q! z1 |2 q6 S> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
/ J2 n; H; x2 p/ X> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
1 P& z7 p$ T4 @# G; @' l> wide-eyed and startled.
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  M& R  i6 l4 Y& F" J* U. K> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
+ l* Y9 r0 q9 _1 k$ }, p# a> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
, Y, u+ O  E' p6 f7 T8 ]5 ]1 h> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
: f& }7 r; V% ]$ R* N' h% K6 S5 g> 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.
>
> 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!
  @& F5 V, @' C* k7 I# @> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; a/ t! c' }% h. 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
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" n- H" T. A2 t, f6 {5 T" j" A; {. [> '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
> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
& p1 j; u- Q- G; [5 E) A2 F4 O> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
! e% P" @7 k# A( h( R! h) ~> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
4 s6 u+ [4 x; ]- t2 a> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
6 j# ~1 m. `8 H; y- A> 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
: A' Y* I) p+ X8 X+ j' e8 n> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
  L$ x2 g) p" D- v> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
2 l, H6 J0 z- s8 F* x8 |1 q> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
7 c! N$ E, `8 z> 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 I2 Q) t; D5 y$ o+ b( o> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, k5 e0 g+ Z7 u8 a2 B> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
2 i5 I& s. S  f2 j1 E' R9 _, y5 F4 B> 1. Delete
- {# H5 h# V- S: C( k2 P> 2. Forward
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' X$ O" N/ g6 f9 B+ v9 s. ]> May your day, be a Shay Day.