Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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# `) O: ]9 H" ^; m7 O  q; k> 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
> 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
+ P* s. ^4 N) }# ]) K- Y> 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
2 h! B' j) ^6 i% ]1 T> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ @* Z$ _' Y( X: }  r0 d2 ^> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: t1 v0 I( s; v1 d% Z/ s> 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
: M- H5 L5 h3 n+ e! `> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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' B2 y, [& c/ d7 i> 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
5 Y, ^% L  M2 X( O4 B> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
) a; c1 l& F7 w9 Y7 T( g' K' M> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
8 m1 c4 D0 S4 H! d- T: ]+ s  r7 @> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
1 s4 J' r( Y7 G> 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
, Y" Y" u1 B7 Y) p! U> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
  X4 \) j  ~0 T> 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
4 v8 p& W$ M2 E/ c> 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.
" T& R/ o9 [/ Q/ {8 y* E" h> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 v) U. a1 G2 s> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
7 B& r# J& j0 O3 a> 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
4 X+ {" s( w% m$ U> 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
2 ?* q4 m; A4 r5 {* k4 L/ k> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
. R0 y1 m6 K- f0 {> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
9 C2 K$ o) r* _> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
/ L: f$ [. R  y> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* _* A, ~3 {- O  D* i> 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
; q  h0 t" u# d% N# Q6 A- `> 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
( L: j6 Q: x: u( x3 ?> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; E' W! X3 Q& L> 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
3 r! |2 m( T, [1 J& g> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
# S# s4 Q. T# @. f" n0 p> 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
: N) [) {1 Q" W1 `) H2 s> circled the bases toward home.
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" f2 c7 H, B5 M8 l/ R0 {> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 S% E( t- @* c* D! J/ g8 }5 g> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
: G5 y9 v9 n' T/ `+ A: k> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
* c' d) E& e. v9 j> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
4 q2 E; f: [$ H! ^> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
% x- f* p4 L; @. r& P2 y> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
4 q5 m" B2 J2 V& \& Q* H* B4 H> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
" t. k% h6 {, I& S" L* D> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 Q$ X, _: V3 O: j4 c2 Q* X> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
, ]# V9 E8 y- K( O> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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% ?2 w; E) m( t" H> 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.
>
' B/ k1 |) Q5 d. w> 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
" }: G) C: ]" ?> '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& z$ a& K% b- S. a7 c4 `> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
8 E" m+ L" F* z& I* N> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
4 k) g" s7 j$ {> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
9 g' {5 j4 |5 p' [. N6 p& l> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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& v( W' u4 c- d; {  |> May your day, be a Shay Day.