Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
( h+ u% P" L, ?# k> 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
> same choice?
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) U! H* }8 P) t6 s9 J6 r. N> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ w2 c& d4 K& h> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
9 a1 f. l- @! x, m% |6 d> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
# |$ o7 V3 n7 @1 \) o1 L* V) K# p> natural order of things in my son?'
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' l: g+ q  i. |5 g. j+ c: Y2 N' r6 Y> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
- r4 g! V2 |: R$ x( }4 p> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& L* J9 q2 m: l5 a  b. T3 H; D> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
4 R2 L5 J, Q, B* C$ W> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
4 h% R7 X, ~; B  O> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
& L2 {. p' k& P7 Y> 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
: G0 u" f% c0 x# Y0 S> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
7 x. B* B8 o7 O> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
; X, d9 ~8 e) G& L5 ?> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
7 K' a; h* g/ l0 {8 F* u/ X$ y2 S1 s> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
6 u  j6 c# ^  X; `" F! d> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
: L9 g% P3 n3 b> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" s) Y) ?/ r* ]> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
' a0 h/ [6 x  v% j) {0 u> next at bat.
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) d8 f" [: |1 \! }5 ^/ u> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
% j( w9 C% K+ o, K% F6 P> 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.
& h( m+ _: L* P+ Z* G/ {: N> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
8 [1 A7 g6 A: |> 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.
) V3 ]8 t8 D* ]: r# i: Q5 [  b> 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
; {8 t5 `4 G7 N- ]3 G- {> 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.
>
+ ], `3 G+ Y, t" `' f$ v. L> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
" T6 q0 G, P1 _. T* p& {6 b7 |> 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 g# K$ W* t0 _> wide-eyed and startled.
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6 b5 ?$ f# y6 h) {- `> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 w$ o+ t8 g1 w, V% O+ i" e> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
$ Y+ J% C* f# s> 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
& x( L0 D. I! t4 u$ b) x4 L% o> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
0 A0 S5 d1 t" {3 D4 a, s> circled the bases toward home.
>
) q2 @/ [; f* z> 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!
9 Q! y- d8 k: ]' N7 w, w> Shay, run to third!'
8 ^* \0 Z! s4 b# f4 x2 i>
- ]( w$ q, B" q" g3 v# x  ~> 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
3 a1 \  F3 o1 }$ k0 V+ L- Q: z> game for his team.
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" `" N$ ]+ m- V) H' x* D8 E3 C& m> '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
+ _# m0 M% m+ D> into this world'.
>
> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
1 s! Z) D* v- C0 D4 n$ e& @> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
. c  t5 y6 X( B5 [2 p. F, r$ _> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
- }6 I2 i" L# h7 |> 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
3 l1 n$ E, D" q" m> 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
: T$ L' p- d- z7 y, y! c> 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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
" y1 p$ H' G/ l5 G9 K> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
- o- P* A0 I6 v6 n% F> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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9 O7 C- f# ^4 W& w2 @> You now have two choices:
, J' R; w$ Z1 k( ]1 S+ K0 L> 1. Delete
" I9 N! [3 l1 O  V: @9 ^# {> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.