Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
% j% h- s" {& e, F> same choice?
>
9 u$ q2 b  `2 w) M9 A6 y" s5 r> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. V+ G/ y9 D" y* ?- W- t> 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
) c! X: R1 ?9 W* Q$ r; f> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 Z. B6 M" \* \8 y2 h% q> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
. q5 w4 ?% a, j) }/ h> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
/ Z* a: E1 E, Y& W> natural order of things in my son?'
>
' |% \; g1 C$ o> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
1 Y, T7 \8 R* v0 x+ K) t> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
" ?! r" u3 s1 S8 _' R% {> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
4 R2 ~4 y5 W) d6 _' V4 M; H> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
( j  t- U3 z' f5 J# l# L5 ]: L3 b> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
! [6 u9 H/ t- U> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 V- g- T. M7 d2 y# W( [" x2 q> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
7 D& M1 X6 f- l; y$ h> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
5 _/ F/ }- r$ k% K> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
( B: D# l' N4 ]* _7 o> inning.'
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> 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
! p! O  f; T' v* q+ P- D5 G8 Z2 U> 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
8 S8 ]. a* a2 N7 s; i: I> 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
* J  W4 X8 @. i> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
& f6 d( J- K0 C, \- @2 W> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
( P4 `) _( r5 X: F  g8 T0 [> 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.
>
2 P3 @8 }# K! `8 ]2 ~. L" `> 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
, r9 H, K1 f/ u> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
; H' _. n9 [( F8 v8 M> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
0 z( P0 R% \6 L> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
' R# Q7 d4 g1 G; U" G) f# V- Q9 ?2 Q4 K> 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.
  v  Y& G! e* v# y' X1 M9 h& b2 }( y> 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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0 x- j6 {2 n$ J1 j  C  F> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
% k& D- r7 N/ @, V5 j( v& K7 a3 {> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
' l# [: c( @3 u) n7 o# N8 _> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
6 ^# G9 X  C5 \: p4 S( y> 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 J7 H- N0 t' M, J; R/ G> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
+ N% |' ~3 R+ s6 Q$ r1 e. p$ o> wide-eyed and startled.
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7 S* A% R' |( D; D, o> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* s" F* G$ z, B, d* Z> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, ~$ @. z: _+ M9 z* y, Q> 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
7 U3 |: _9 n) q# J4 U  K> 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,
: N: G" M2 e  y  o0 E, `* @2 s> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
" H' l$ {; L. b" g" D- o) w> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
0 e! C  P( E& Z) p) [2 p> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
! ~" w+ x, l* _7 S> 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!
% ]9 w  s3 _1 m" t6 l> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# ]4 C2 r' R% B3 m" N1 Q& f* C> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
0 |+ m2 ~: z# D* m# h4 M  b> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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8 J2 i: a5 I& V) J, ~& d) _6 y4 }> '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
> into this world'.
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& o- |$ m1 D9 j> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
- F1 Y' j' @! A7 m9 L> 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
1 ~9 m! j. s; q5 E& j2 W2 L+ G> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
) C0 R0 O4 h; l> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
) A, Q8 X3 n/ U+ g$ I9 ]4 V9 F> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
4 S' j8 M0 @$ n9 k# W> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
! f$ z' Q8 d6 @> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
; t4 H" J- ]$ H* R# q> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
$ s6 a& {1 V) y0 T> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
. a+ |( {5 r& \, i6 E. Y> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
8 E$ S  h, i5 Y( N; N# J> May your day, be a Shay Day.