Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
! b. H' v& W5 p0 ]% @+ q* H! K9 V> 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
4 y7 d# {% j, Y/ |/ q1 {> same choice?
>
> 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
8 a5 Q7 I" e& {# y% o" n6 O8 U> staff, he offered a question:
8 v& E  t3 r. U  `+ @' ?2 [>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: W7 X! N7 O8 g8 {: r0 R> 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?'
>
. z& h" K8 c. T. {> The audience was stilled by the query.
9 C8 s/ S+ y* U" U& V>
% [  s+ E6 L# [% C' y7 N> 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
7 c: l! o- `# {' L6 c* A0 q/ k+ k> treat that child.'
, b8 \* @4 a3 v3 B7 W$ g>
& a- M1 X+ ~7 Z! o> Then he told the following story:
# ^& {5 g/ ?9 v' c3 p' S8 h6 F; M' ?>
> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
  r" y: ~/ X$ f) h. f" k>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 o" Q1 W9 t7 t+ U  T% E' G7 G> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
. u  p3 Z3 E5 e  t- h2 I/ ?> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
- n! Y6 ?( Y. z  N% E# j> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
  K8 ~  p/ Z; ?( d0 ^0 i+ L> inning.'
7 o+ i: h  q8 O2 E2 J>
> 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
7 b/ l  C3 q- U/ Y; b> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
9 x* ]6 m$ v" i* T> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
; z! |- c9 _9 T  F$ v; G/ G> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
& \7 p* J9 L2 A3 ~> 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
4 [# A+ A' j8 Y7 W2 A$ h> next at bat.
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# _* j" o% d3 h! t+ g7 m> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  b' e4 z. O. C2 R' M7 K> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
% K, b9 `8 ~( x! r# ]> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
$ @7 a3 o; P  V8 M( a> much less connect with the ball.
2 x7 s$ {$ z1 Q> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
  T1 V  O1 F& y3 r- X* ~  a) d> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
5 \4 w$ ~* k. L0 Y, T> 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
: D' L' B+ H8 J# Y$ v> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
4 `- w% D, g1 b) G7 ~> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
; t1 ?5 X' O$ X2 i> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 k/ r' B3 ]$ O, i> 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
5 e  x! [' U0 q$ U( V. G; Z! ?> 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,
8 K2 V  {4 D0 Q6 l> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" ^/ P; H5 D2 G. u> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 m0 Z8 P6 P) b- P) z7 ^> 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
5 i8 a8 m: z' g4 y( @> 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
1 i/ j: \( L4 Q. V5 y* c+ G5 @> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
4 }9 V6 n, w/ t$ z& W0 {# i2 m> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
/ T( }3 D" z% w) _2 \9 b" O( |# e> 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!
+ H& D5 a5 d! A: {6 S7 W> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
9 P/ F% H+ _2 D/ ~- ?4 j& m' a> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
7 a' r9 J( g% |> 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,
% Y1 _; Q* m  _, c; d5 g> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
7 |7 e9 i( f+ Q- v> into this world'.
>
4 {' t9 Y' h3 {6 Z9 q3 t1 [2 \> 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
# G" Q) W! k* E/ _$ Q, P% U> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
% l  i  u! b; e2 f> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
% i7 [$ q" T/ M8 X$ ?& F' y# p+ e> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
1 c, e, M: P# }. @$ Q> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
+ w" ~0 }2 E/ |2 I8 ~* Y" 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
2 N) p# l, `# M* ^6 `> bit colder in the process?
>
1 o5 ~. J7 Y7 j# p! r> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
% u9 j: q/ d# ?! Y- H+ I" P>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
# w. H* p" o! Y2 O( T6 [2 g; ~+ [>
, @1 N6 E- z- U  ~8 a  N/ @> May your day, be a Shay Day.