Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
- E( V) Z& o8 _6 ]$ W; y+ D> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
. }2 X5 a& i- @; s+ I> same choice?
>
) F1 _7 T1 R( l$ H1 o> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
0 Y2 U3 ?( @  j0 b5 ~# H> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
# l$ w: ?6 d) f; F% m) D> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 W4 S% I# ^$ ~' L7 ?+ z> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# t5 r$ }/ n0 L; m: v2 r5 O> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
) `/ L: ], n/ o5 E9 E( _> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 Q) \0 K: s- p; D> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
; m: m, K" @1 P. j. U> 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,
8 F- d; P$ j6 P+ _9 }> 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
6 M4 d% Z5 @! d( K& E> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
" x) ~" t$ j! W- F- D) G3 @> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
; p1 H) ~) h3 p9 L> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# y' ]: r% a6 {2 v1 F8 E> 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
1 w9 O# [) O, W0 q4 |> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 \; R( G0 h! t) {' O1 {> 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
; O- s# M3 }) a2 S* Z; o> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
4 ?+ ^8 @2 ?. |% R. C. h> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
" [5 v2 h) d/ j> next at bat.
>
7 m8 `5 s" I& P> 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.
$ J5 _% \7 |) `" E> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 c8 h; D6 U) v> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
2 \) U( X3 v+ _+ k6 J; 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
* m7 ]" U- l4 i> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 Z  N4 l2 ]: l( c) s2 ?. ~) C> right back to the pitcher.
9 x3 v" }7 B& S+ y( x2 l' G/ ], L. s>
, m, N! ]* A% I* n! {> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
$ E! l' x$ l4 y; 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
% n- Z4 l$ T4 N$ y- x! C> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 P- G+ }0 C5 E! Q; |! q& i> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% B$ z) Z# h8 M+ K1 O: 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
4 M2 L2 e- ]$ S4 Z$ {> 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.
>
/ b' o  K7 r* V2 T> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
) _$ }. F: ?8 e> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
' b  u+ z# M% ]4 N, b/ f& B7 v> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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
) E9 V$ W3 p9 w" A: m' m& B> into this world'.
>
# T% q1 f6 |; a& ?. f# x& M. x3 l> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
8 ]7 T2 g& t$ ?  B9 z> 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!
>
, w+ k; t* {: x0 R, I* 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
5 P6 ~) q1 G7 L> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
5 l# D3 a! D- _+ q$ e- K>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 T6 \1 q* d2 _7 d> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
, j% S; C( i/ r+ P; q> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
5 f+ B" ~- r6 }/ o8 ~! Z> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
6 F  o4 ?+ Z6 ~4 C8 e6 q4 `> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
) }4 a5 j7 e4 Y( z" K# q8 C> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
+ h1 {. H/ N) W; z> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
! j( B% @- n& n8 w' k> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
9 n# C8 c+ p- q' \- D>
/ d2 q+ Z4 X# y0 q' a& R- r" m4 I> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 m* b! f) S! j" s. }& B, N$ m> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
8 Y9 ~( I4 ]4 u> You now have two choices:
6 w3 g  ~# B/ `3 l* K> 1. Delete
7 M% R! z# y* i! m& R> 2. Forward
! j4 S$ d5 Q3 ?# M" A. x3 k>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.