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
> same choice?
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. @- ^7 {* r/ v" v> 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
& G6 Z1 A$ ], U* {+ U> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' A+ E" E( Z: b$ \( Q3 k# F) w; E> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
4 S! {8 y% D1 P$ r. w> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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) @6 i# W' i0 I) T* ~> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
$ ~- d8 r- H1 X* g, h> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
$ ?& b- D+ a/ d$ Z- A5 g; J7 F>
> Then he told the following story:
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% A: d. ]7 i0 J4 e. W/ h$ f! o1 [0 k> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 F  X5 R# g6 [0 M0 T> 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
) H: Y4 Z( x, ^> 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.
/ U1 S/ O! ?% R3 e' |>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 S9 M% C( t/ Z7 f5 B: {2 |> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
$ s' @$ U* P1 M# S: E> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
( |- u/ u: `( ~9 d> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
& W7 j! i3 m9 |8 S+ s( |3 |> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
5 \8 l* h1 ~  j6 f4 k> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
  D4 |6 i1 J* B( _5 P> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
" i, l1 m9 d6 M5 F5 P> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
, o& t) a- Z7 o> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
) }) x: ^# `- t' M& I  [> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
: f8 a/ u4 f, Y- `- ]9 l> 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
8 A; O( m: m4 M, O  R! a> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ ]& {0 g( x. w& {> 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,
" V* x$ s( A# S$ T> much less connect with the ball.
0 L& u7 H  r! m, z9 F. F> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
' C. N1 O8 F. t- U! w2 v> 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
& T) \: ^: }7 X4 F$ Z& E) q> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
" K  E! f# P" P3 p% G  r: p& }$ k> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
6 L! J2 S1 H2 G/ g> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
/ a9 T) \# N; C2 l! T% Z> right back to the pitcher.
>
2 U+ d+ |# |! B0 I> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' o( m' C2 Z) O. N- e. w> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
# V5 H3 B3 y/ y& [3 l! w/ G. X! ?9 S> 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
8 o' Q4 q1 t) K( T- v> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ Z% M/ x" r8 g' x9 p1 t> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
9 u. Q. ]) i) ]) J+ E> 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
> 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
  P& J+ X4 q. p; ]> 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
3 m' v1 F* }) w* C$ T> 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
+ h' W# b# }$ w- i% |> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
$ X' V; ?% O. o+ V- x* z> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
, ?8 c" y: r7 i" i+ y. r>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  Z! w* L0 U% }) l$ X' J> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> 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.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 l$ d6 p* L  T& K- f* q1 n> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
/ u- ^9 W) V* t0 f8 r2 o> into this world'.
>
% u$ k. x  X( Z6 N- t- g> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) X) `% [  z& f* J$ ?7 K! b# Y8 _> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 u& Z# a) n+ R" O  C/ ?> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
! [& b) e7 Z. A& S% Z) e> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. x( J( ^7 x% H0 [: c> 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
3 c. I& b) d$ R> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
$ q, o# F- s9 ~: K9 n& F> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
1 \* L" R6 z8 R% D2 g! D, k7 X/ 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
' T. V6 v/ o4 [8 K- K> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.