Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
: P& W8 `# U- H# g- ~! g> 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
: p. u3 E: O8 L> 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
> 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
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
3 Y" ^  x# j8 b5 l> natural order of things in my son?'
0 G! D. I+ [8 d7 r5 k>
$ k6 @8 @( _. D- V7 H! Q> The audience was stilled by the query.
3 Z6 m' F) O2 O# }: K5 w; \>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* j0 R6 C( w0 F> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# e* n9 z* D1 n  M> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
1 p. `- Z( w6 h> treat that child.'
>
& P' e, j# `9 u8 d: b2 q. M3 S> Then he told the following story:
>
$ _' B* w6 i' R8 E6 W> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 l/ M1 o* z" b/ @% [$ S: H6 |> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
9 j* [) V- U, J% J; C3 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,
( d7 f3 P3 |- B, u( Z& `! u> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ s" h* U  g# k) N' c# G> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
0 ^- h9 t( M9 I>
8 t0 M( i% I! M+ _> 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
: B6 p) P% o; `, k% \1 ~, ?8 Z> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
; g, d9 [& @7 ~2 W> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
) L5 Z& {  l& R4 k> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
% {' ]5 U- ^; W6 \5 e' _  K> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
# F% k, O; c, x7 l9 W0 f> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
  {/ Q+ Z9 K$ Y> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
& I$ S$ z; u. F> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
- ?4 |# E0 c7 U" L8 @> next at bat.
3 @2 @8 @" c. n; N  L9 K>
> 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,
, t: e; u! f; A" L( {, a0 U> much less connect with the ball.
  m# }6 x- h+ [$ M; q7 N> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
; F- z% c1 O( `4 T4 K: ^> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
- p* L; E2 b3 A  W> 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.
) `7 S' Z& f% Q- f( E. {7 O> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
3 _3 F% y; a" c' t7 j% c; [* _  |) f. @, v> right back to the pitcher.
>
2 M7 \& t, [$ C. o' x1 T2 G* \> 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
9 z; R: S: e/ p8 _9 j0 {' ~> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
8 P* b. s6 ?% Y- L! v- I> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
6 c* i- l$ _4 S: Y2 P; ?* Y  x+ W> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
% y* }  t. E+ `9 e* Y> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> 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
7 G0 Y# T7 a) W# d> 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
9 _3 N. A, |! v8 Z% Z  L. p: g> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
$ E1 S& n+ ]: @& U' m5 w>
. n4 K0 H& C" A- l! g% U0 O& [> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
% O7 w* i3 c. C2 o4 I. ]6 d5 P> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
. I1 z# v9 K1 y# e* R3 r> 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
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
% y1 O* [! v% @> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
" i3 l/ [! |0 W5 E* o> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  j$ F; p/ o9 k" G. P9 @8 i> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
" D. T( w0 v/ m2 y# H( X> into this world'.
>
0 b. i) E7 y; N> 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!
>
+ F+ T/ \( Z$ @) j% r5 j$ K> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
% Q+ y' l$ Z6 E" `9 z> 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
, b3 R0 w3 H; G$ s5 j> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. U9 b- P. c& d> 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
: s7 p, F& \* I> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
4 b: o  `- D- ~* Q1 _" |: g) [> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
) q9 l1 o! U( w' G3 B2 r4 C& 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
% ]- x/ V- u; l3 _> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# D4 f9 A5 g& V  F> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
! j# s  A1 b* ]1 B" W>
> You now have two choices:
: w4 H8 {3 P5 R> 1. Delete
/ }8 G2 `: X/ F* X- F! i> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.