Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
. R( l5 m# V9 }7 y3 R5 q* U> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ ?+ |3 A9 p+ i. ?6 O3 ?> 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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0 @& i- G6 F- |9 o# G2 Z> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) F+ y3 F2 R. t) b" S& h0 ]0 F> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
) [" R" B: P- ?( i/ n> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
' [4 `: |# r5 S) n) X  S> natural order of things in my son?'
>
8 i) B4 Y  j+ q/ }: y/ B> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
$ G+ f" W* C  l4 y% j> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 M  M$ z% X' q, r  E> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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6 b8 v! }! X4 e* r+ L> 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
, I: E$ w+ n# S* ~+ s, {> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
( v1 K" f( G9 @; h> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
- L6 t" Y# d: s9 L0 {> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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6 u9 P! G  x. C; n( h! a> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
; ?/ ]  t: u' h- }9 a8 c- y> 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
2 G2 R- y7 v) t8 V> 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
9 ~5 l# k* @9 q> 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 A( x+ D* S, M3 a2 D> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
/ \% ^3 g' M' B7 K* \, q, J% ~> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
4 r# `2 B& w3 Y+ o4 S1 ]# g> 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
8 l& P% h9 X, S> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
) H$ _' T9 |, J; N> 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
$ l( `; h$ h7 _  R> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
* f- \- e5 ^% `. b: F5 ^8 M> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
& O8 b7 e' }  I" z' j+ `9 F; R> much less connect with the ball.
0 c$ i- b3 y7 r( D> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 [! z: t0 a) W- U+ Q) f> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
: b3 y0 W9 v$ H# M( o. p& P> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
2 j" n: r7 K: `! h> 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.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
  d" w" k& ]7 Q# ?6 B- P> 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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: Z8 r) U$ Y& Y( \4 u1 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
. k/ J6 |2 F6 ^  h  e  L4 T> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
! _; _- O- L. o, L; i$ H: j( o> wide-eyed and startled.
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3 S6 p& R5 x' n7 V> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
. S7 [' b8 r$ a0 d. C( x> 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
' y/ _" o6 M- i- G/ m" w4 g> 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
+ l4 X; |" ]7 g8 {> 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
8 s( P7 B  V! @( I" _- z9 {6 _> circled the bases toward home.
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, H) \! b( a' N: s6 w9 y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
- Q+ a: {0 h' r5 X* o) _, _, q; M> 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!
, u" D* A; w+ H4 T9 M> Shay, run to third!'
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+ T; D2 n2 |, R+ n* Z3 u' t+ 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
: m) J- `2 e$ V8 c0 d6 S+ h> game for his team.
>
* b% H+ y  `* O" `* u. F5 R> '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
- L$ J" u; [; ~0 ~9 z, ?+ z+ ~5 G> into this world'.
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6 Q6 K- L- \. E. _> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
, L4 e* x: K. I+ {* H  E> 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!
>
% C9 ]( {  a8 m+ m; x; F& _3 m> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
3 K0 L2 W* U+ B, Y1 K1 J0 A% o5 Y> 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
/ m8 {. g' _. _> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 K  J) w( f2 }> 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
) [; n3 J4 @5 ~> 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
+ _. C% _6 p( Z! ?, T> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
' v% h7 J- K, w6 M3 ~& M> bit colder in the process?
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% D* |4 r7 u- k" Q, r( h0 T6 f> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# d9 u3 B. c2 z" A0 ]9 \> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
* N7 r, @( N+ s/ ?> 1. Delete
1 C- [. p. i& E" ]> 2. Forward
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7 N; _0 k  F8 Y0 Q2 j5 G> May your day, be a Shay Day.