Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
$ G- w8 i% ?  w, O4 Z2 B  h6 c> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
) B2 P. Y7 u8 H7 M> 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
& r( a# P' E9 R4 ]; W9 w4 P# t+ M, n8 E/ U2 P> staff, he offered a question:
+ \4 m( h- R, r+ i  M$ d1 T>
9 x! b. d0 G5 j5 G! ^  ]> '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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
+ t2 O- Q% u9 D> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
' T. R4 r4 L& F> treat that child.'
>
' n9 |$ @' R; \( W0 C& l> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
$ w" d/ a* v, z7 Y# b1 w( K> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
+ k  ]* G, G! v' T> 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
2 L' M* N7 W7 k- y9 C7 z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
1 v8 g2 Q! e1 \4 `" c>
> 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
1 v; S' _& h5 Q; o4 f3 p- M> 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
0 |7 U9 G: a. n> inning.'
>
+ _1 K+ L. c' J> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
2 B, @$ B: Y( X> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
5 A" H3 [" ~% J: L* D) `" a9 [> 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
* R# W: W# h% F' x> 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
0 l2 x. A0 F3 W" o  A1 k> next at bat.
>
, j" ^" i0 }* q> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 e7 v8 F% e0 x/ V% E> 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.
' D4 Q* A: i8 @+ @; }. p> 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
6 A& J3 _$ p% s, S> 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
7 o/ d0 w7 `! ]3 o2 n> right back to the pitcher.
( y) O" ^" Q' R  X>
4 P0 A) d# k% a1 g+ @5 `) M$ m> 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.
- a8 p! D; x- h  R7 B+ _>
> 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
( v, o1 @  r' Y& `& a& T> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
% I5 B$ ~( A0 k$ h> 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
. w. \" y2 u7 B/ ~/ @3 J) U> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
5 G! J  R( w& f: d8 z: ?4 R+ q4 p% C; q> 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
% {  X" i5 e. v* B( N* Y4 C> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
: m" R2 q1 Q+ l; q7 v) f$ K> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
- f7 E4 ~+ T) m* T> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
: w2 V& \+ v  Z( R* ^2 }> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
6 }( D" o" X$ K' i4 Y5 C/ a! Q* W> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
6 s# c  S5 z- C>
> 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
+ Q* J/ ^9 ~5 ]5 h, P) s+ q> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
' ^9 Y, u! @& h6 a1 r7 [>
# d: S) g+ S/ d> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
! t" X. Z# z6 K6 T4 ]  O! M0 T> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
& W% H, [" W9 B" q: W( P> 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
+ E) A( N/ y9 m, ]# j  L( p- U> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
' t6 A+ k- t6 h9 c>
$ ]6 f2 V7 H, `" r5 U; g7 D> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* m7 ?5 R) B* s  p# C0 I> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
/ W$ I5 K5 e. v' _" h7 F% S> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
9 n* n, A+ x" I> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
' l. D: ~9 t5 m4 J2 T5 n" J>
# w. h1 x' W1 G. ?3 [9 X> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
" d. m( _. ]! T+ u> 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
5 D6 M+ N. O, E! X- W0 R6 s> 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
* {1 |$ ]* P( ~2 z: a> 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
, \7 x) C1 u6 u% s4 t8 y. L> bit colder in the process?
>
" U7 H$ e- P3 M) x6 l. A! ~! W> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
8 [* x  N  N3 l* \3 F3 B8 {! Z>
' F6 |8 ~7 Z& G# G* {  N> You now have two choices:
' l) b" T' @8 H- j+ U> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
9 K$ E1 Y" R+ _; u& ~" }>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.