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
* A% g+ \# [/ }( y0 w> same choice?
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> 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
; X  N9 r) v5 F; K) Y( n> 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
  U" }2 E# _9 z! j6 S; o0 |& z7 W6 b> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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+ p$ Y% s* [2 o5 O# D6 ]1 `> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 J& _" t0 m' v  M, o> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
% v5 }; \* p" k# ~) h+ {' d5 P% ~: O> 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
; \+ f1 u- b' j% O: b: n, P> 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
1 }" P; f0 m* H% g> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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9 v/ q" {: ^- u8 k6 {! w' `> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( F/ [- u8 Y  M, g! Q9 e> 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
> inning.'
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5 v/ _9 \# _" y7 X* M0 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
; }3 b5 h6 t) n  F, ~3 v" s) Y> 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
: {! M9 V; F; k& i! q7 U2 g0 E: K( k> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
& x4 S1 w1 H' g8 H/ b' e> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
% k4 _3 X+ V# [" [- \, n+ r& M& I> 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
. p( q* L  v0 @6 i0 [3 L" i> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
4 u. K& u+ _; J; r0 Z> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
( E- M% @, @3 \' ?0 ]7 l; t5 N5 Y7 N> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
  b1 C% U: _0 e> 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.
! v3 H9 }% e( r, W( ^+ s: E> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
. w. N* y( Q. [- s& P> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
. }' D& X3 d8 j. r) J4 _# f> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
/ ]% Y  M4 E0 n; ~8 }> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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7 E) R$ P) C/ E0 W" ~. l; g/ O" r> 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
8 q; _: Z: _  _: ^5 C4 p  j) h( {1 o> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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$ u% |  r3 K$ z" L+ a/ M5 w, ^1 s0 S* f* m> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* [% P! _& x5 S8 V> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
0 ~/ u- J, ]+ ]0 Z2 W- D* D> 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
$ `6 Q3 g2 g) T! r> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
, i7 Y7 y4 q6 V2 p$ A> 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
8 {. E' b) {6 B2 i) O1 U$ y> circled the bases toward home.
>
- |9 i# S- _( P. m( F% T> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 j/ N0 A  p  \. K2 S' E. e: {> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
' k" e& g; O( V! O! Z( R$ f4 P' i> 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
4 E+ A3 S. {% S' q; A4 X! R$ W' b9 S> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
2 t% N0 h) s) J- L2 `# ~/ i% l> 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
( H' }! L! G# s' q> into this world'.
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8 b+ l# B1 T! z% u& y1 X> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
" y# M7 g3 U3 V' {+ S# I. x, m- 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!
>
> 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
. v- E$ S! G* H/ _+ S+ g> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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& f0 \& A0 n2 y# y+ z9 i> 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
% o. i. s( b) Q6 U> '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
& d) q+ N5 d( V0 c> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
0 H; \# o* x% k> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
8 l" w' i+ |- U> A wise man once said every society is judged by
: W( a  G0 \) A7 L+ j8 D# T> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
0 V- k  q+ W+ h) l8 Z& M3 h+ b, v> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
  X. I6 `3 y! j6 J, B  }> May your day, be a Shay Day.