Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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" f: v8 Q5 a% o" A$ @1 d5 \8 N, s& i* x1 D> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% u/ _. h9 @3 U% _> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
) m7 S, Q( u0 ~3 m: ^: N> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
* p4 A1 N) F2 R4 f- A> 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
( W# l, ~8 L: v! Y! g8 _> staff, he offered a question:
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> '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?'
>
: [4 |; y, _/ v# c> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
2 T3 r8 y% v7 x3 `/ Z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! I/ d9 m1 r3 s! I/ y( q> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 ~1 y; k! N+ j' r- M9 ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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9 P# \. l8 v. [0 ~' M& O  M> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' t  S" @* J& S' E3 Y1 h3 B> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
; }. K$ q0 b$ H1 a. t" Y> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
) j0 T; `& i" b1 ~> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
. p& `  b4 o( v" q> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
% E/ \& E( [8 L" y> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
7 R4 q0 d7 ^7 B% h3 H8 Z% h. S" F> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
' H  S* a8 o# y% u  m* t" t> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
& y+ r, V  J0 i  V* O> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ O, g0 Y3 ?6 D> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
" R  R5 U+ H4 K$ q; k- M> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
9 ?. x0 X8 J: p9 Y! R( a5 B0 n( z9 o# n> 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
. v$ ^3 n# [7 Y* g" l: ~> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
2 h* k1 p5 F0 S8 h/ f3 ^+ i> 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
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
, v: r3 r& X6 T0 [2 ^> 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,
6 I' @  X8 f1 T7 L. T> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
4 b0 j0 J( s1 Q. J9 m- ^& ~> 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
0 h' V3 K' J" O# j5 F# ]1 n8 A> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) r3 V' X$ _, t& P> 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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3 ~$ Y8 ~( w1 W9 Q& Q) p7 N$ U9 V$ s( m> 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
> 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,
' K2 w" n9 u* I4 Z> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
7 \6 h6 U& y6 s! _3 O> 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'
>
# r* {; s) d. B6 I> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 s, z1 |3 r5 ^6 A> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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& r8 _, s( {! N: ~/ v> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
& f9 P. a" t5 S5 q) Z. S+ ?! {% {> 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
) v* ~: e( n( i+ z0 A. J> game for his team.
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; R) T  w6 D' }& q4 L1 O> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
; m9 x- ?2 h5 M/ e8 O# f> '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
$ a: @4 X6 y% i  m8 J> 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!
>
3 a, F7 B4 |0 T% _, v) V0 q5 `> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
* I, w8 B: H) T, p4 M# |' e8 N> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
' q2 E' ?7 ?, w. T  h> '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
0 c% |3 m  ~3 P+ z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
3 a7 C8 h3 W- w! [7 t8 a" j+ J> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
" Y$ v9 E4 u+ {> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
0 Y$ d9 ^: C- @  g6 _; {) t> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
( O  F6 z6 a/ C& g> 1. Delete
3 X9 z$ G- \1 I+ \$ {> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.