Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
( b* n8 Z' f- l) x3 I3 ?2 Z> same choice?
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/ s. G+ _" O% |9 \6 D6 I> 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
- B3 v7 c9 U, Z4 ]# O( r  T> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ p' G# B% r1 t6 o/ Z> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; q/ J+ W1 {7 W% `> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' h+ ?1 r* b" X. x$ h> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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8 U) H& L+ o# U) F% `. V> 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
9 E0 R) w; W+ C0 `/ Q> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
  |2 ?0 y3 w0 ^* S> treat that child.'
>
> 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
3 y8 T8 l3 p. I. {- E# E; E% r> 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,
( j( N/ X- H6 ], D' ^$ p8 \> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# Y/ g+ T& r* k4 \: X' V# [> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
2 y2 V- p& K  F/ w> 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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: b1 a+ L' j$ @* @% c> 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
> 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
% a5 ]$ x8 M$ P% ], Z> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
  E3 s( v, {4 \$ s" q5 \$ f& y> 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
  V- L& g1 W9 S% F> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
8 V- g* h: _' G( W  S; B/ M> 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
: o# j! J% G; \7 W& `> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
6 U# m/ Y% q& O/ x9 v% Z> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
  i5 |) T/ I+ c, \& m4 \> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
- @9 B$ U' L# o, n> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
> 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
  _3 h1 J/ w$ l7 G  i4 N> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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.
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5 L" K1 \7 r/ S> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
& e+ w: W- e7 `9 @4 Y> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( y/ `7 b% ]5 y0 y7 x5 q9 f> 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,
9 u3 u: p" i. ~& @. l( X> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
" U, j2 T7 r2 J3 F$ o. l) ?3 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
3 t  }& N3 r8 E9 c> 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
) X6 n3 V& m) r. b5 R$ ?0 `! _> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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/ m" ?' a/ @+ G" V> 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!
( j& z, G% I( L> 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
> 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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" S% L' d# t5 M' p> '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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> 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
( B! ]4 Y- n+ A9 @9 `) n> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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" W( l! D( k0 ?1 Y  \  V% Z> 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
6 P; P" F* [$ y: 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.
>
> 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
# ^% @% B. r( i9 T. D> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
7 v& W: y9 O  g. [. z, W* z> 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
& O! t& A3 n" P4 R4 S> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
( D5 n7 p- ~7 w% F* y; Y> 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
) b# n$ M0 G% z9 u6 f7 v> bit colder in the process?
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- v3 t; U( x8 y6 `4 Y0 w> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
0 W0 E: g, g. o- ?8 l- X4 c> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.