Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 ^4 w. e* `5 L' C+ U1 k> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( f! H9 H, i/ [> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
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  c" k  S( t" M: g> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 W2 W7 }  d$ N4 |! X9 g> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
1 {+ V/ H# q4 \% ^3 F' Z> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
3 S0 @& Q6 o; |$ B> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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9 y4 b0 \8 s; X4 u3 O0 f> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# p. l( t5 ~, L2 l1 u% b3 h> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 i8 ?, b6 H* @6 b> treat that child.'
>
" {; l. f% C* v8 p> Then he told the following story:
>
, Y) V* S- A: [$ u6 j, S% 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
/ t( _7 M* H. |' y& E> 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.
>
- v4 ~$ d) c# w  x% c. j0 b> 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
: y: a' y4 {  N) Q4 K$ _" 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
8 \7 B* R$ a! m% U3 N5 f& p+ i> inning.'
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+ J' r1 m3 T! U7 `- l( S> 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
2 n# e" i4 G* x1 Y2 M% u> 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
" g4 Z  i( ?! [9 R7 I, ]> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
) s9 T# E* E( s& P2 f> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
; B6 z1 S9 _; Q, H* d: h> 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
  J# N3 U2 [9 d3 k> 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
> next at bat.
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( O  [" V# g1 g> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
. p1 f6 B2 X: C7 J> 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
  m$ a4 j3 \2 [6 M' j; @6 z# Q> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
% Q, D0 `2 ^8 M5 f> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
: v. Z7 g2 G  m. h" A  V> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
  w6 Z( D! ~2 X! ^" O& \& i$ C. U> 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
8 n0 @4 K7 W' ^+ R# M3 B> right back to the pitcher.
>
% r7 }) E. s# h8 R1 Y/ }: Q> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
; f. `4 Q% `3 q! ~3 _$ o2 [/ j( B: g> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
" q5 ]4 c$ j' Q$ l) P5 u! Y' `9 E> 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
> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
& A$ S+ e/ t- N2 ~> wide-eyed and startled.
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+ v& C4 f4 I4 a: G" P> 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
+ b, z0 H+ y3 [7 U: m# m> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
  T. X$ t. B  ~3 X> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
2 B' R# |$ X( w8 t: E5 [$ {- A0 h> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
$ v' H6 t) F- ~/ k# t; x  g> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!
; L; m! C* y- S% Z" m> Shay, run to third!'
>
7 x, J6 u6 X4 H> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 n" u* I) n* I% k> 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,
% \; Z) n2 L: f+ {+ Z. \> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
. W! @) t3 x; s  }0 Z, @5 O> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
$ O7 p7 d6 A( Y, f> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
* X+ W2 p" [( `2 M/ o> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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) d7 N5 N0 ~8 V: c7 G" x2 [  k9 ^$ r> 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
+ w" i, u9 Y  p( T1 |, y> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
' ~* h# Z: U1 _> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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- h+ {  U& j3 D, v; v1 a4 X> 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
- b5 ?' q& r+ q! }1 }$ V" m> '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
> 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
> 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.
>
% h! z2 ~2 S$ b8 [3 u2 W) f  P> You now have two choices:
! \* Z4 P. R( p+ v2 R> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.