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
, \, G1 A" u& @5 ~, h> same choice?
>
> 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
3 r9 v7 n5 d8 U0 c> staff, he offered a question:
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" z3 L* M5 w( Q5 k! Z. G( R> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
" [% n1 D: c% o* T% a2 S. k) j4 w> 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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. w( x0 u% T: \1 w9 R! w> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
7 O& w" j) e$ n+ j4 _6 \+ o  k3 T6 x> 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:
>
> 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
, O) P  M6 h& v> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
. S$ T1 K' E$ K* E, x> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
! @3 s& E1 v% m) I% c9 v( Q> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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4 R- W% N8 Q) W, j> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- h7 K- H* H; A- o- Q/ x> 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
: [$ Y$ X& l5 a' f/ o/ o% G> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
" T( I% F! G9 U5 t> 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
& A1 t. \' R9 E% ^$ E7 K> 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
> 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
6 k1 o/ X9 a( S7 ~& m3 x> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
, R8 s$ S- x, a% Z2 N> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
9 K- u6 _8 q9 `- Z# |7 K* B! l, \$ H> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
, M/ W- V4 H4 z" f: N/ d> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
+ Y8 O8 M+ P3 x- I> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
' _; r4 P1 _3 G" [* 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.
) [2 x# g; o6 l& S> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
5 h! n) M! F( S> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
6 h9 Y8 E! Y  Y+ d" D) Q# d0 Q> 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
, A0 c/ G1 a2 G- K0 N> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
4 m  N, K) A! z1 g/ 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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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) C0 b/ }$ X( k) e> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
( \' I% j# B: W, Y; d+ F8 m> 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
+ R% b3 X6 K3 g3 B> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
- L% c2 l. S! y+ T, d# t8 u> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
8 _& N1 f+ ]' f> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
# F; k+ ]  r$ b; _  l> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
: {7 a- |' [* a8 R* {> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
8 J; a& p% L" W$ m> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; U, N* f4 C& L7 N' i* E, R: a> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
: Z  |" h& {, }> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
+ O& [; J6 w2 t, x/ X> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
: M3 e$ g, J! z5 s2 _% z* {> circled the bases toward home.
>
; O# G  n& D6 W' a% U> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
. Y5 _2 k: P+ f1 K> 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
> game for his team.
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) p9 N9 F  n1 J5 R" G> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
. \: m. [4 a+ A, ]% @! H2 p, c> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 q. L2 `  ~: J, N; G* N> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
4 F1 H9 ^8 K7 g7 G& Q0 M) g> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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5 S# t# \" c5 \" b> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
& M$ F# B: h$ H! d% Y> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
( l8 P# s$ _% h' ~> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" g3 R2 X; f5 c> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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& u: a1 ^7 I- ?! {; R7 G> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
3 r0 i5 D& Z5 Z> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
! Y& {0 ~7 F, p4 D1 G> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 |* ^( x& w/ I. z. V0 D> 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?
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8 Y4 H) U- S! t7 T> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 L) E% q+ `: k1 ?! `3 Z( P> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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. a5 @7 }' I# R- U/ t$ N> You now have two choices:
/ L9 X( C* y- u+ u3 l3 G> 1. Delete
' |. N: Z9 L. }> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.