Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ Q& _% T- i6 a. s1 q8 ~$ k( i: A> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
% P8 O/ D! X% b4 q> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# a1 Q2 q& ], @> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
% V6 _7 J$ j" P  h8 ]4 d$ D> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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0 Q# I! W8 {( z; F0 f> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: }" J5 E  E0 S0 \" ~+ d5 d6 n# v> 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
! q3 N5 E' e  j2 V, p: g> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# v; Q9 I( a; k5 ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
6 K6 f7 {4 d; K> Then he told the following story:
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* n$ `% G' ]  a5 X) u. C6 U> 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
+ Z" s! r9 i6 R& q' X- K* {> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
6 [, A$ K- m+ I0 h% v: T, k> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 ^, s+ v7 L& d$ a- k8 r; H# X> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
1 L. Q  F, }3 R/ z; D. P. x> 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
+ N/ H7 Z+ d! I, ^: e1 R# Y) R" s, o> 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
' A' N9 T0 ?; Q! p/ n+ ?( u> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
, m" ~  z+ ^8 \+ R# Q- b& ^> inning.'
>
- G8 o$ c  g3 H% h* l> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
6 Q" }/ K. V% C( @; Y9 E3 A( M6 r" k> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
. P+ I+ b$ G" T% Y> 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
9 E% ^& D8 g+ {* q9 c( C> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
* M. i# q; d6 v! M> 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
0 b7 g% B- Y1 i; H> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
0 I  v/ C  p/ s$ A> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
0 z$ F2 P  K: H% }4 k. D> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
6 i6 x- Z9 B8 L- |> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
" c( c* E( o: k7 _5 u$ U- X' T> much less connect with the ball.
1 p+ r$ K) i- l: ~+ e- V> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
5 U) o( n  R3 W3 K  K> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
2 G3 K: M" V; b( f4 `> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
1 e/ D' b6 l# |, h% \% g4 X, Z' `> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
- d) e5 M1 C3 M> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
: ?$ X. g) c' g% J3 K> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
  Y' I4 q# B! F& L0 }0 v> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
) z+ _$ X% O, `- ~0 K! X> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
- @5 f4 f: f4 j, {+ T> 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,
0 e+ I/ t* e. }> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
$ u# b, e% W& z> 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
' i) g: W2 A* Q  {, G5 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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" [5 A% L- ^" |; ]> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
& Y! W( d* C7 u& i1 w& X> 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!
7 D5 `% C" k& H/ R> Shay, run to third!'
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/ \# [# y, p2 S* t+ ~> 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
2 ]4 @) x3 z: p8 C, b- C6 e6 H> 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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2 w3 @8 M- C* Z5 W> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
# P: h: o8 o9 k6 K1 Q" |> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
/ x  c/ \1 ~: B" m8 I> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
% }; M. R4 D& K> 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
> 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
5 h% ^7 a$ e  R3 C, C( w> 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
$ X/ `# P# j4 |, Y* V! ]> 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
3 T: J0 q( S- E. C4 C! u  ]> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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+ n4 P  U- x$ b% r+ J( ~> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 z, r# q% g! c> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
. S( A+ n3 H: b& s: Y1 T9 p> You now have two choices:
8 n! s$ k$ q5 {) C> 1. Delete
& e; A. I4 }/ k/ P' F8 E3 |8 y> 2. Forward
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7 ~% |+ Y; Y) {) l> May your day, be a Shay Day.