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
2 N% x: q8 k% N( [9 ~) O/ j> same choice?
>
> 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
& @! J& y5 B1 x  Q, w  T" c4 f, L$ F> 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
. I# [! l, X$ a> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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" R/ b! |- y0 ~$ o" v> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 u5 ?, X$ y! N! G. F  n8 O# d- ~+ ?> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# P0 S9 Z! U- N" A! O> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
0 L0 R& s4 p7 x7 R3 p0 V6 i' a6 x> 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
> 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
2 f; h3 Y. K$ F- S4 j  l" z$ R+ i7 Q> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 N7 m& N/ b7 p7 }> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
2 w% t6 |1 V' {- \# P( W: x: Z+ a> 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
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
* M) D1 |9 t3 \6 |> 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
$ f% y; }$ O' g& l' W9 N> inning.'
>
3 M( O5 v" @: i0 N8 Y: d. {: T: A> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 B) O* T' B0 H( z> 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
3 J/ {( D% Y0 |& |  W/ I> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
$ V% o7 [- p& 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
> 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
2 [  \- R6 q0 m7 b& t> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
) T. z* `# L* I* g7 m: p1 ]> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
( Q6 P( L: H) q4 A7 L> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
* k- w" ~- E! v4 i0 f> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
- y% c) M% ?4 ^, Z1 V* z> 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
- W8 F; h2 P7 R! l) U6 E; l; W> 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
! o/ U% `0 Y0 `9 Z, v+ C! I: {; ^, F> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
# o. h- W( j1 O! ?> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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2 E0 d  R! ~3 c. A3 c, c> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
& f! S) W; e8 C6 m' t5 q. H> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
  e7 I1 Z$ X" ~& g4 G3 [9 K, D> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
7 p# N4 ]: o: w* ^5 s> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
: c) a" c% U! G) Q> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
5 k8 p. J% D8 s* M> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
6 n" M. ?/ h! p> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 ]( f5 A+ k* f5 \2 y! m& e  s8 I> 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
) n  H4 g4 l9 A5 n8 M2 J5 H> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
6 m0 b7 w# w0 e4 q5 ]+ ]; X> circled the bases toward home.
>
* x4 b! S8 r/ x- ]( e* G4 _> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 p4 m! x# e! P) Z( o/ }  T' |> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
; v; @9 y0 ]! M! _3 E; j' V> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
; D% i  [% z7 Y$ J> game for his team.
>
9 A# ^3 ~) y* L; s> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" B' o8 F1 J3 ~* [! j8 k7 B6 r# f6 I> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
" B5 p. ~3 e. D; ?( u& {: N$ A- Z> into this world'.
>
! M( e7 V& s3 g4 b. w* k1 o> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
- g& E5 F, G: j& @- l; i> 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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> 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
& Q8 U  i5 r% W! F1 ^> 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.
>
' L" E2 M6 `1 g, y> 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
4 ?/ B7 H7 y  u5 x  }> '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
2 o3 X7 F1 F. \2 _4 ^> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
! e% `1 R$ K7 ]! F3 t> 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
1 p& ]" D9 d* l$ \* P( r> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
4 J0 t  }2 b3 D/ a> 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.
>
> You now have two choices:
4 R3 U4 ~8 c+ B! g- `1 f8 Y> 1. Delete
( b! g9 b  P2 b+ y> 2. Forward
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$ h. t' d( N3 B7 t9 M8 E; f. h( g> May your day, be a Shay Day.