Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
1 B* ?7 H( C- ^9 U4 `1 T> 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:
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# s  U% Z# c  E. B! N$ C> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
- N1 u" q9 V' m1 [( A' Q> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
: J/ O, y3 m2 j7 ?! M> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
( _; r" v- i  p0 d# z7 g1 u6 v> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
' f/ L' |4 s9 @. Q> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
$ C5 l9 Z7 `  V) d; a( D' g> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# Q- ~6 N( B3 ^0 ~% U) F> 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,
' e2 }5 g$ [) F8 Y; o9 J8 H> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
4 G$ X- `' x) [> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
( j4 X. v, ]$ W& d8 j> 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
' @2 r4 D; [# b5 t, ?0 n> 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
5 b* Z, v% ~' B> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
4 p( q: X+ x+ \* s( [& K> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, Q8 m9 H4 q: b; C4 F0 x+ g. O> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
9 |: M4 z( ?  S' N% A> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
( F' v6 W( t; @8 J: a) Z! o8 W4 s> 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
; \! g  @: j: a5 N# p> 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
9 }; N$ a4 t. _> 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.
8 |0 n* ^, k  E& o$ k6 U7 t+ l- B> 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
4 y4 e/ H4 ?# f) v+ @( A> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
* S* k; Q+ ^  o6 c& o8 z5 F& W> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
" P1 r7 L2 O- X' N* m> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
3 U) F9 Q; ]0 L* V2 Z> right back to the pitcher.
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! P: Z7 i7 p; U5 l7 ~> 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
# n4 Y4 ]' ?# V, l> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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+ |. l6 C" c* w" U* y> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
) M" e8 V, l, f( S$ B) W> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
% r4 q/ _5 ^2 N1 g) M> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 u' e0 G: @6 {8 X& Y' t> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 |( z9 v5 y( d) Z> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
4 k6 |4 p5 T4 }2 J3 j* ?" E* S% f> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
" K- ~( J) _. q' L# q& S0 ~> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
$ C3 v( j* ?- S) H4 d; D2 M+ N4 `> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
! b3 [5 b' W/ R> 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
' E! ]* ~" `5 t9 U8 z2 c> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
- s1 c8 t) v4 \; Q> Shay, run to third!'
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1 F' o/ C7 m- B7 |> 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
/ y/ a9 p' y! s4 Y/ D: R> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
7 O* `# k# @3 y2 {' @5 U# J> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
/ \$ k( d# h' t1 _> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
9 {. R9 }7 S5 B, c# ]3 Q> 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
6 I0 }+ W0 M. O# n) v> 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
> 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
; q* O6 j7 X6 C' D. N- k- U) J> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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  s) _7 E# {# W> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
8 G0 Q4 f. `8 S4 i> 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
+ j( b* O) ]  A& D6 q> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
; |+ s6 y3 B$ I4 ~> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
7 T1 G# Z* J; F/ C, G7 J" l, a> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
6 P3 D" b2 m# y* |" R- u> 1. Delete
2 c7 ~! C$ u% i- w  G> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.