Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, N0 y$ s+ P" O2 e6 V* w! y  x> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> 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
1 `4 w" @$ i9 e( Z' p> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
& @* Z. w% n4 \4 H> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 V# A$ p& O! T. Y1 S> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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$ U# W* h! j; J2 V> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
" V1 }. a8 M$ `; {> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 Z/ w- ^* ?2 u- H& R* N> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ Y( m5 m* W) B9 `% U> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
9 Q) w9 K! l1 w, A8 a& ^> 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,
* u& s1 c( N! s% i+ ~9 J> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
5 [2 Y, K7 J& n" u7 f/ g. s7 s> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
/ L9 M$ n4 A0 \% q* V) 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
> 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
2 \0 {$ i% p* v% _* }% H0 g> 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
# s3 w- v  ^% b7 H> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
  ?9 A) i" `8 H7 j/ K7 x6 q> next at bat.
>
% V$ x& I( x0 w7 n! U5 o( p% c> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
! x+ F7 d! G7 ~8 }" Q> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ {9 n0 e7 q) V, \7 T  G> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
, w6 ?' k- s( |2 Y6 ^7 [> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ i( K3 ~$ A2 |0 \8 @! R> 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.
  D' f; {( |& @! x1 B5 V* h0 Y9 }> 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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: k1 @9 M" O) c1 P3 [; h, Z> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) }5 D, s: w* Q2 u! O' Q9 ~> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
8 h) Y* q8 s( n; G9 R/ R3 W. I; x% m> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
9 L/ Z) w7 G) A$ H' X> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
1 p9 C4 y! v( q4 y; X/ m+ n> 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
1 C$ G4 T! ~2 I' Z) P> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
% b- s% p' P4 z> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
% Z& T* V  y3 o. M& L> 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
2 C' l. P4 G% Q> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
$ [$ U3 W+ p: W+ D8 w5 _$ k$ ?> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
" E; N- I) H6 X; j> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
( `" T2 {8 ~: G8 b, J> circled the bases toward home.
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+ u5 F) c2 _) o  ~% k1 W( J> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
' i- e& W/ f' F# D& K8 v> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
" Q' c/ w, H% F1 W# u3 |& \> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 O' l& M) \* \> 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
- W  K7 j4 }3 ^4 G4 \; A- I7 n( n> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
5 K) \. U6 u# z6 Q2 P> into this world'.
>
, x+ j. v, O' i% }5 ?> 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
* X8 {4 B9 D6 w> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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. ?+ ~8 Y' M- p8 n( n5 R> 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
$ ^+ e% Z$ b; W8 ]5 `9 R1 f> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
& ~8 r$ K1 |  n( G  @( M  _> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
" V2 I! ]$ P* J- A9 @6 }3 e: Y* U> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
( E+ j; E/ r' o> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
# W% r8 B5 `6 C> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
' I: E) [: ?( A  S+ A. L> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
" k0 O$ e/ U2 D5 r- [# r7 [6 U> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
8 j# |" i, C% o; }- B+ L> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" C- _' g" a) A' d+ U4 v> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
, j( x( Y) B/ `> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.