Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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" ]  h4 ]9 K) }( x3 m, B> 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?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
' k7 t, }7 p  T# R& t, C: \> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
7 E1 H3 c0 T: m& J' F" m$ `* [> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
! l$ M" r- @$ y> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# b' q5 X, M2 J* Y2 k. W> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 @) w/ \7 Y7 w% B' w+ v9 `$ p3 t> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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0 ?7 {+ W- r4 Y2 b> Then he told the following story:
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8 g, N7 T2 F) j8 L> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 E* B0 S/ n( z+ d! c, r, m> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
1 c0 A+ _( I* X$ f- \2 m  j> 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.
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; a  t4 z: H" L, `2 e+ g> 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
3 Q. L, X' W: |. u: E> 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
/ P8 q/ ]% _' ?, x> inning.'
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  P5 N& a. i1 w, J$ E> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) }/ o6 Q2 c" t5 x% M( ^2 I7 }7 R> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
- {& O2 M: x5 _$ w- a% v) r> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
# J3 H5 `% O4 a6 U. I  f! N> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
; x' B- N. B* i> 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
' X3 {3 w) N; O> 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
) k' C8 o5 u- E) x6 b5 U  P> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
3 j" X3 P$ Y8 h3 Z> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
- l7 [' [5 C3 N> next at bat.
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# }9 S: t% ^1 |6 x1 i> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
8 r$ ?* j& E. U2 G1 \> 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.
> 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
& e9 t, W  g# m* p: u; X> 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.
) h5 r0 W* g) Y, w" D( q> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
! Y. I; W* R; a6 a" c> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
! x0 l" I! h* _, Y1 e6 O> 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.
>
> 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.
>
: U1 \/ J' T# _* M; K/ T0 M# b, s> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
/ `+ ]+ K" k+ a7 D6 |; m> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
, @, v& ~% U7 ^> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
; B( i  D; O$ M9 m, ?. s> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 l4 n- {; z0 r3 L$ L# H7 T0 Y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
1 K/ o0 _0 K5 q' w# X0 a9 A. E2 H> Shay, run to third!'
>
0 M- T- \2 w% V# t7 u2 w> 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
. ]8 \0 `' D* ^4 f9 B6 y> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
$ t3 U8 ^5 Y2 E8 k> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
+ ]$ Q, A" g8 d# |9 ?> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
+ |6 n( w; F" b, ^4 x  n> into this world'.
>
7 x# k3 }# k# n( T3 e> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
9 V2 U& R, s5 H+ G' d! ]7 x> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
6 ~5 l, B+ r- |( [> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
/ P" e" n% {4 z, u' ]7 t& n* @> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. t8 ^" X6 U+ T5 S  X> 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
; d3 ~7 ?( u+ [' Q/ Q; b> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
% W2 q8 F  I/ G% {4 ^, Q> 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
/ T8 Y* O0 Q" |1 ?> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
: w# ~1 f! R% G; U; P6 m( `" B- H) \0 o> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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& z* N* b1 i, x" {  H9 n> A wise man once said every society is judged by
0 u0 W# J+ s0 ^) R> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
) K* H# I) Z/ {# p1 V8 Y) Z  B. ], {2 P4 x> 1. Delete
9 H% Z' h( B1 N! M6 C+ c> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.