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
0 ~5 ]7 L* V& ^* e% B; e6 o> same choice?
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0 o* v8 ~! N& ^* O> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ b1 A7 x* H) {. b8 \> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
1 v5 A  R2 T5 I+ h9 C  Y8 N) }> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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' u1 ?3 o1 ^) ^> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
* Y8 @' e( V& Z0 s* K+ r4 ~. b> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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5 l1 T# X! s( C7 f' U0 C/ F! g) y$ a> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
; x* S( C+ u3 s+ ?  g> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 Z3 z9 S& f7 w+ H1 B/ i8 V! ^> 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
9 V( a4 ?& z7 w9 ?> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
+ O/ t/ j9 z# e& K% m> 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,
+ m  J9 D: S8 q> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
# d+ T/ ~- @; }8 H& c) L> 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
/ P- A7 J5 Z  \- v% G- J, J> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
. D, f" N' ~+ h; c2 d4 K1 b: `> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
8 U2 ~/ h$ `3 K1 r; [) D( t> inning.'
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: {9 k$ T! U8 U7 R' h0 J# z> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
( w, |% O& \0 S- B% q4 C+ \> 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
( }8 o' z- L4 n0 f4 q> 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
3 V% w2 d* D+ {( B* X/ R> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
$ A7 @* v; e+ v- M, r( G% Y> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
, Z- m( S: o3 N$ u. K> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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0 c, L& z4 z4 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.
' ^* d8 E: u- K1 @: v' p> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 [1 g, i' n& p" z- f& e3 T- H> 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
3 `6 h1 Y" W$ u! O4 V1 o> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
, z  h+ s! P8 j: {> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
* y. x. j+ a6 L> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
9 n: X1 @; @/ T8 E6 M; B0 B> right back to the pitcher.
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5 ]- h7 i5 N( \" q  \4 V> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 w5 n6 x) l: z9 w> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
3 s; ^* P+ {. `8 j0 v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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2 M, j6 L/ D- g) T) ^: X8 G* [. L> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
/ u) q+ a0 H( t  s> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
3 ]8 U5 M6 J+ L5 D9 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,
3 i. l  i6 G. [> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
. ]2 c0 l# w, B' W" Q$ z, |* U> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% L! O; i0 ~" J& i+ a: k0 C> 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
# y1 P3 M* D2 @  A0 N: t# E> 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,
0 ]. ?2 Z* P) z# g' u> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
0 X9 P2 [1 H7 J/ d  D, s> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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% e, ~, d7 b9 I6 h> 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!
: |# I1 Y7 u& D> Shay, run to third!'
>
4 O+ K$ I; i& n: X( X> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, v3 D$ U" {8 y1 e, b3 z> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
5 I9 K9 `) K8 g' n6 q* p> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
- ?2 s& p8 K. b> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
* s6 K7 K% v& i( M# v> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ j3 {1 X& \! `> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
" t" V2 M2 Q  V9 V" j> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
" t+ H; d( t2 t3 }* \- ?; |# \% s> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, Q/ E. H  Y3 R  c3 y' P> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
# ^3 V2 ?( ]  v$ S/ N> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
; [" V1 l0 Q2 J> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> 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
9 @: x) a3 a6 r+ b# f1 O+ r> bit colder in the process?
>
" m6 A( ~  d6 a* g> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 s$ N) {& F+ Y) w) J> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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* x. W$ k" c% R# w1 ]> You now have two choices:
2 f6 B1 j. E; d7 _" d) e> 1. Delete
4 b" R& X5 p# N( r' W> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.