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
> same choice?
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$ V- c% D4 N6 w, u> 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
# t3 |* t3 S9 \  r  N# a> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
7 z" Q1 |+ _! E6 e2 g3 R( z> staff, he offered a question:
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0 m2 k& m0 j& E3 {! i3 L. ^5 m  x> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
1 D" m# O; N0 _1 N> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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/ w5 T- h6 G- S* _4 r7 [8 Z: f> The audience was stilled by the query.
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; G6 M0 N0 I' J; i! R4 m5 a> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 E4 G+ Y6 t9 I& Z8 D0 Z> 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.'
>
9 y# |9 b0 V' u. a* t. U# o1 C& F> Then he told the following story:
>
; D/ A. u7 E* c( }* v> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 `( ]- I/ \1 x, f% ]6 R7 @> 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
! p5 x& [7 m' D- e! b8 z> 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
) E! p6 G9 ^; g! {) F8 y( `> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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6 l; D' B" e% Q" k4 x" F! R0 }> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
. I& l% |" a/ k9 C" P, R' a6 X> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
# b- ~1 ?4 X& w4 ^> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
2 d# M" X1 B* |3 U> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
* A7 ~4 l$ B( |: O& k> inning.'
>
> 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
> 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
3 M# B& J6 J+ U3 @% d7 C> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
8 M# z; B) Q" c% l; n, `> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
2 Q" m: |5 \, R> next at bat.
>
> 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
4 a+ t) j) ?# ^( k4 }0 S! ?> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
2 ~* b+ L$ n, b9 F- H0 l> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
& Q& g) `. V$ K5 K> 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
> 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.
; U' Y6 z, N1 f2 j> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
, |3 K3 J/ B, r2 P' |> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
* w7 B2 t; n% N; k* {) m4 |> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
0 k- p  |9 e5 F> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
* s& d# q( W, l' U% f( U> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
! M! M" l6 m+ o1 U: z> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
8 i7 i) _! a$ s+ Z, y> 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.
>
> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
+ `- m  q* {3 i8 n+ l1 n> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
! z$ e; {. H7 }+ I+ S> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
/ P- o2 b, b3 t' B9 [> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
. F( C4 @; s- c, n> 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'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
. ]; C* a, }; ~& ~% G3 S> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
3 t. U7 u) I' l: E3 a1 k> Shay, run to third!'
>
5 f9 c0 u6 I+ `3 _9 J* y- x7 O> 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
9 V; Y" h1 W, w& i% |3 U3 k  H> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
* C' l7 _3 s) d7 D, P8 D> game for his team.
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> '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
> into this world'.
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) R% ?6 X! U+ j4 Q> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
/ }3 o2 d% z  c& `$ y> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
, I* _4 l' b+ Q+ x4 ?$ i0 f> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
' S. [9 N+ K* i( `- L; X> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
1 r/ {7 p/ a+ L3 k) M$ J' \/ l> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
+ W; c% V, Z( F! H( K0 M2 h/ _6 ~> '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
3 @4 W' w8 w9 A0 d8 i> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
; I& M4 c; d( r8 x) V9 S/ R> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
- |. o$ I9 ?1 w2 P0 N. f> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
0 {% C2 ^; |( G/ r5 c/ R> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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* U) G* V$ N" K- d) B+ M> You now have two choices:
( `6 R+ Q+ Q* K2 g5 X- P; c5 K' ]2 s> 1. Delete
, I$ h; B$ U  t( T" n6 ~> 2. Forward
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( L+ E  S9 C% [2 v> May your day, be a Shay Day.