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
6 x2 |- ]2 R9 X9 o/ s  |4 u> same choice?
>
5 w/ U5 X8 _; K8 C3 f+ p% `> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
> 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
> 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
6 Y; X& D  F1 i, y8 f> 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.
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. ]5 m' A3 ^& Q> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# {& v3 F! P8 H% o7 S/ n. c> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
* z1 R9 O- S5 U/ o> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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& W0 T' f% ~, [3 h  h9 E9 x5 h  h1 v> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
! c- j0 ]- i! q% N% Z> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
8 K) ~. O$ G0 p2 f* @2 d> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
0 \2 C$ m" e- V9 z2 x& o5 G> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
  Q0 p1 b$ ]" H4 ~/ X  t' s> 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
  t, S9 q4 V/ N- R# w" o, U> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 y4 a3 V9 Y; J> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
  n4 L" [  P2 {> 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
' ]' |: k9 f; k- H/ Z6 X: ]> 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
; ?. P$ ]1 |, O9 `( Q- ^  n+ u> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
! V( w# E" J" |> 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
3 N& h9 z5 @: T8 {7 X2 `/ B> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> 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
$ v: P, D: f4 o, n* X, {& A7 t> 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
( X0 l( K4 T/ @! x, K( p% c4 c, |, }> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
2 Z: F/ l$ s& W; \$ W> 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.
1 @1 Q4 ?" |. Q  f8 l> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
  Q! r6 E6 n0 D" U6 Y! B> right back to the pitcher.
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& J, t# M+ }: R% ^4 v  ?, h> 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; P' g9 `$ M4 Y- A8 v4 j> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
% }$ }( ?+ `" i> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 w) x& H* N  p1 `* \  E- Q3 d> 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
" l2 [& H8 s) Y: Q7 C> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
4 h8 y( `0 F. l  h> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
; W; X/ T( {* p  Y6 k' M> 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
% }3 F8 Z5 V# V. O# a% Q  K% ^> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
, q4 |* @3 d" r6 Y; x$ L  l> 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
6 u1 g! R  |6 v$ p* ]> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
! H' w5 F' {/ m( K' s- k9 t> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
> game for his team.
>
* F3 H* `' g4 p# `+ A> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
% }& \- u+ J% `! |: @> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
7 a1 \/ k; L% z3 N( O) k> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
; `, F) g+ M8 d2 d> 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!
>
+ j# N& T: y+ G; F( l- w" u5 V6 Q> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 Q0 o  D  R+ W; m> 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
1 k% q3 Q$ y% j/ C/ g6 v9 Z( T> 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
% J# X5 I( e3 G5 e  p9 o- ^3 Z> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
. ?& ~* ]8 U" V" E> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
& m5 C- L/ d# P3 l4 N$ K% i  a> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 _! ]: `+ b7 l- b( S> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
* e  R0 F4 M; J* h# [) m' p> 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
; e1 W2 [# k4 f> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
) M' p, `; @# U- O2 n> 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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> You now have two choices:
8 t* r9 ?7 ^! h: u. k- n> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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( N! G7 Y, X0 t> May your day, be a Shay Day.