Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
+ `9 d( c2 X( z6 s0 `> 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
1 P. {$ ~7 u+ N* x> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 J0 S5 @( b8 L. u0 W# C> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
* O, k  Z2 F+ @. t( @' r0 D' B; R7 O& l> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
) k" y6 l) f( D5 a; Y# q8 B, |0 H8 g> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ E: U& v4 j) @9 k4 n9 \8 s7 {" y> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( H; @8 I9 k6 j1 f> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
4 z3 L  Q5 ]- A  \* v2 a> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
1 u$ j9 C5 g* c& k+ n  r: Y9 p% y6 M> 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
7 M9 `9 @+ l: E# z> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
  S( z& \( B1 ]! f> 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
5 G6 |* A, w  w, n: h> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
) L" S. s& W- x/ W> 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
; @# G& d3 W8 D+ K> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
( H% P+ F# i, Z+ i0 k> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> 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
6 ?( d6 L7 S/ g) ]2 j  \> 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
2 X9 o, s) F* {& x> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
7 i+ N' f) j0 W8 [> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
# H3 j$ \% h: 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
2 K4 T+ n1 Z6 ~5 Z> next at bat.
3 @) C) R$ x" L>
: m0 A  X. Y, ]- ~$ R! s> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ @4 ^0 m" _* S- `! q9 D> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
# u5 v; T2 \! \6 Q8 }6 M> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
" h& F+ f* [( o9 \  S! M> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
1 \& M# S1 z/ \( P! C> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
> 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.
>
- H7 }! O& |& \7 X> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& _( B* p' H8 \, A2 Q' z> 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
7 n3 z( J, e- @> 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
$ X* |5 G* v9 C0 g! {> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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: S* ~3 z" N" v2 S8 h, k> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
& ~. x1 V6 }+ f/ I/ }/ N> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
6 g$ M6 N  S+ G% u3 @+ O> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
9 M; V& B+ p8 x% f8 x# l- `> 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
8 `. y% y2 G: B% l) K. G> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
* @4 ~6 A% ]2 t) j1 e% L> 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
2 U* Z: O& z0 J: Z1 f> circled the bases toward home.
>
- d' n5 \5 n8 Q! N; s4 W/ i$ L> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
' L1 x0 A+ {. w2 h> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
) M, `. v) H1 B* Z9 \/ Y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
& m+ D- k1 ?# U0 a. I> Shay, run to third!'
>
( i" q7 A4 k0 R! D> 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.
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# E: h% W2 }2 z> '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
/ q0 j, E+ b$ F  a& D> into this world'.
  J6 e0 j$ @: i/ a% a1 {' u9 I>
2 _9 S% i9 s) ~8 N) M- ~> 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!
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' d9 U5 c$ S; I4 G  F> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
% J. j1 f, ?$ e, s; B9 j- G  e+ h> 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
+ B4 U- f" K& a' c: [> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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3 w( g$ ^4 n0 z5 c> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
2 R9 `! t# S8 x3 v> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
$ [4 y5 d! o3 N5 W5 m6 Z> '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
- h3 P/ X3 }& P; b) R8 A> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
; T: N( m/ d% y) p> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
2 l5 Z' f/ c; ?# A5 s2 j> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
. h1 `+ k" y! T5 Y% i> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 h* B( _4 l1 [! o6 t1 q> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
, G  _& p9 W5 d  a: w$ J0 A> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.