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
) j! B7 P( W% _% {' v( N. o> same choice?
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" ]* }( f3 Q4 l9 Y> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( v$ M  P6 Z" `( {% j> 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
6 }% w- ?8 z" j2 z& M. k  t> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
" o  k1 h; \1 Z' Y4 ^, E> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
: O9 I7 o2 P. j7 z3 E: b. ^5 X> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
) y% h. u) V$ \" |, p> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
- M7 D0 j9 c) o- J) y6 G> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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2 a# }0 i$ _! X: p# I> 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
( J! t. F: }+ 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
& N5 P6 @& r/ Y( S- x> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
3 {0 t8 [6 Z' v7 R/ W> 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
( l) I+ H+ T) R0 X; G> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
5 h, ~, F4 `5 g) U> inning.'
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> 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
; D* `  K* M4 k" i8 Y9 d; B9 a# x( [> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
# Y& q" a2 a  S9 u- s9 Y> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
& E+ c8 @6 o0 w. o- S+ A8 @% X> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
( |) g3 r2 V* l> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 U# Z  Y2 F, j8 F: y, C> 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
* I) T; Z  V/ p. r3 Y" f> 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
3 t  I& D1 ~' J$ t" r( e4 D8 M> next at bat.
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$ D  `0 y. m9 d& v> 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
  T9 @5 N7 B1 A. d, f1 U" r* @> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
" U; O% T9 `. q, e! K> much less connect with the ball.
5 Z* r# A# l( X, k5 ~3 `  x> 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
/ {) l  y. M. p: S# Y> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
. q8 N1 f) s- a' o> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
, C% C- u. x+ k> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
4 N' c% C6 C- g$ G* B> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) [% E, d% ^# s5 f> 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.
>
/ Z7 m5 D3 e& H% w$ S; K> 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
> 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
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 _* U( t5 r) w, \& K> 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
$ D% j* }  K$ b; d* V! o! s> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 t' R8 T" e; P# M9 H) I> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
$ Q  L) l' t  E9 |& t- |, ]; B3 T> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!
2 ], X0 H' k2 G- A" x" V4 }. v> Shay, run to third!'
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5 I/ o& J* V8 I" l- V> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
' S: A- |8 {/ K$ H, n3 `% N> 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
6 E" V' i' [2 G( u# @$ U3 k> game for his team.
>
> '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
  A( {. p- M$ W. w: A# |. F> into this world'.
>
' v/ X5 Y  Y! A- B8 D! Z> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
/ ]/ W$ r1 t3 b) m; [! j+ S> 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!
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> 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
1 n$ \  w7 ?. n; E& R3 h> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
; ?+ I8 d1 Y. }0 k1 R; v> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
0 B' \9 T7 f, Q1 M> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
/ O. N2 K# F" @" @, R& Q, K0 l! A> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
1 [' q- R% X6 d9 f7 @' L7 @> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
1 Q8 |' h2 h5 P3 r; D# l> '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
8 P( Q2 d$ t# k+ C! Y; X5 D> 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
> bit colder in the process?
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  }+ {) x+ e2 p9 \> A wise man once said every society is judged by
! f  J. f% e- @4 r> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
4 k$ _, T" y" F' w& T6 ?* p> You now have two choices:
6 E6 y1 t) D9 x: s5 U/ @: b> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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& X0 A6 A8 a2 ^% A" K! b- V> May your day, be a Shay Day.