Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 W# ~' M8 U/ k+ p/ a6 c* i> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
8 X. w7 c; @+ x) `> same choice?
>
& h: S( i' R( g& `# M' D> 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
2 U+ _$ j' e7 k5 I" n4 X> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
* A8 w. M  o. Z0 T; o> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 Y' W/ \# q; L6 t> 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.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% @* G4 ^& D( R0 b& s- ]0 l> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
+ g- X, I  B3 O5 T" ?> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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* _! J1 O" A& C# Y+ u2 B% Q> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
5 s2 _! V* @! k> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
" F( T0 ?) c  M0 e- B4 D> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
# i* }, t( }6 b: G3 ~; k> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
* r6 }& J" [0 H% r4 v> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 U* ~4 N% N; u2 ~% g2 A; a. U> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
+ w1 g, B3 x3 w( G> 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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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ k0 t( Z$ A: U/ Y" n9 n> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
, U/ S7 J6 u1 U6 F9 ?) o+ K( {> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
  j; y7 [8 e- j3 r/ O$ _+ o  }> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
: F; g/ L. o. G; x& u0 s> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
9 m* X" Q" I; w. _7 |  b4 ]' b> 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
1 X5 I$ ?: `; Q9 S6 W> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
5 s3 ~  h& c' I2 ]/ Q* @> next at bat.
+ Y! b$ ~4 H2 ]>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
' K$ ~. f) c# o. s( e) s> 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.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
6 V7 ^0 A- [' w! }$ s; @. a: }) B. b> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
; v$ V, o5 z' x8 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.
4 _9 z5 u8 a, X% u- d> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 V7 c' \8 W* t8 d' n: N" S4 B5 l1 z> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
7 h1 H* U6 D' w' T( Z> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
8 K. B2 w) Z* G> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
/ _: w9 L* E9 i2 Q* C9 P# ?> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; P6 I% `( g  a! @) I1 Z> 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
! `6 {2 D# b( U) y> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
' Y+ _6 E4 T" d. L+ F5 \- K> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
: n. i3 B" V3 P, ~( w5 d( }> 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
) X6 C% T) O7 A, g: J> circled the bases toward home.
>
- ~9 C) n6 I# v> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
& o; X0 m5 K. _0 O+ j> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
# B* P& z; Y: v% l> game for his team.
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1 A. O' k: v, z& C% h4 h> '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
2 H# O2 j  D7 f: ?! U4 U> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 E1 C7 m5 ~" i, ]! ]; T, D/ b> 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
  L! d% M1 C  t! i4 s. r* ]> 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.
>
. ]: Z" x8 c0 U: y9 }. B> 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
- {# Q2 t. R2 T( }1 A> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
* `! d# X+ X, F. D  g. J> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
" l+ p3 f& _8 n9 q8 B* t9 A> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
: C- I( K; K1 I) _# j> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
/ j7 T" I3 L2 K5 `4 L> 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?
>
7 ~) X3 J) e! ], W) i  H> A wise man once said every society is judged by
0 E. ~: z- s# k6 c$ ~( ~! {> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
! o. k5 K+ n9 F7 d- b> You now have two choices:
& [5 B/ T9 M# w+ Z4 v> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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+ d  I4 b* J- ]# r& Y$ d% D5 O4 f> May your day, be a Shay Day.