Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
: ?2 l+ b/ M( T/ b# X/ |$ A> 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?
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+ L0 B4 A$ }  O( I8 h2 w> 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:
>
* R3 O* b9 D! j& j> '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?'
9 R) A5 f2 Q8 x# P4 N. c7 G4 ]>
5 k/ @9 `: z+ W" v% N> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
4 r% Z9 t( h* P$ n# D" i> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
- x" F: C. o" P& L" f% ~8 v2 F: Q> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
; x+ z6 e/ U6 j> treat that child.'
" p/ V, R7 V* {( l- H3 O>
> 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
9 d- s3 A( q: w0 {/ f5 Q: _8 B> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
# V5 g" `# a. X7 n5 r+ Q. D. W> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
8 M* h. y; X2 D7 R( f0 B> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
6 [2 R7 v8 t' f9 O>
7 E- K+ Q3 I3 }; I+ T, [& Q> 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
% A/ U/ o3 `& \5 P' b1 o$ Q( W8 t> 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
> inning.'
>
> 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
/ S0 }/ n/ h9 Z1 Q0 W> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
+ m. [- e0 L& g* {" Z> 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
2 [# X, _; f6 e3 G1 r> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
) T" @8 }8 l, R0 D' ^6 C; a> next at bat.
' u! Y# u2 n9 @" G; w8 q>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; I" L3 g5 I* `. M6 c9 R> 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
8 L8 ?% ]) Y* a( l, F> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
( C- i& t/ P. s$ H& l  W> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
# `$ |2 q8 n# y! T- H% Y1 a> 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.
- h! X8 M& V/ z' z5 z) V+ K> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
+ B6 Z* O6 K; q) j> right back to the pitcher.
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+ Y. j4 f% U4 p! f' ]> 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
4 p* I2 G0 \/ i0 P; }8 b" v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
8 k7 k6 M; K- E& ]> 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
7 ^% r& f% O) o0 C# S> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
6 O# e, |0 S# b>
" d6 s0 M  _) Q> 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
7 N$ _6 [: B* |9 H# F! y3 B> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
  `' o4 P5 V5 z- V) I. O> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
1 v2 d$ Y$ k# `$ |) x$ V> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
! l3 C4 D% r' v8 K$ V* i> circled the bases toward home.
>
7 [" i: Z4 A& j1 D( e0 ~" h) G> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  K3 u5 b  f/ G# w1 o> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
8 A# |9 g% Z8 b6 u> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
5 E6 s7 P* o  w% s8 Q5 F6 ]! ?# {> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
1 v& x$ T- w0 K7 j% i>
) T7 ~# m2 \- W( i; r1 B- V( 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
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
$ m4 Y; S8 K9 _& s8 B8 N> 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!
>
) w" Y3 }" b$ T' c: K& Q; v$ 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
9 A! k& ?' i  g> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
% C* t! o& ]2 M% u  L2 a  U8 T8 `3 L>
" C# Y7 M3 w- t6 Y( J> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
( l2 a9 A) @) G# t6 P/ v! k> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; H$ M$ j" X4 d, Q9 b> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
) D; u" ?# g! C> 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
% b- U  F6 ~( X3 v+ j  Y  @0 M> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
- |* n: |& G+ j- Y) z2 O> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
. L- H5 |8 E) U; ]> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
" O" p) a& r, ?7 {0 s" a3 s> May your day, be a Shay Day.