Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) o( C+ e" r4 n% o$ i) Z> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
2 f. k& S% U9 ^% y> 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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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 u% t& L; t" ^( {> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 B, i( [% t4 z+ C: N6 W> 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.
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& c* y3 H% x- z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
, e  y! f- R' a- q5 Z. F. p> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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- u5 a; ?2 h" k; L, ?9 v: K: A> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
! |9 R  T( C  m8 s/ L> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
4 u, \7 `/ c" p4 ?  a> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
# F: n2 G  s; d' V& t; ]* M3 S1 Z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ L3 Z+ K4 ~& w& d> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
5 S) r! F9 G( _4 D> 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
3 l& i3 ^$ ~. B. R5 T> 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
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
. S* [" x% Z0 F# G- f2 ^8 Y> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
) O( d1 U, {0 w! \' i4 s" b9 b9 _% F> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
; n2 g  A0 U; K> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
0 o) H3 v8 N) O* _+ |4 ]> 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
4 }4 f1 m" T% o3 U2 p> 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
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
2 f6 k& ^( U8 P! j9 I" t/ e> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
- y- o* F* ~9 S8 k" K; }' D% M> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
4 L$ ?& k! Z, _# }/ `7 x  j4 w* Q! w> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; A! i" W( C4 H+ ]+ i) g> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
5 f' p* R7 [! ?> 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
/ Q* u1 E. ]$ ?# d, F4 v> right back to the pitcher.
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0 ]2 Z4 {, S" k+ o* }% a# Z% ~: a7 Y> 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.
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8 I3 _2 E( k) N' V' l4 t> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
9 ^! T) C( q. P" H1 S+ q> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
& n% E" a  X% a; t; Z/ d8 k7 C, g9 N( ]> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, o4 q* L* k/ z/ M- W" s7 m> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
4 N. T* Q& B: u& e* [  w> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
) p7 g- ?0 O1 ~( J. q4 |; ?> 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,
9 N" D& @0 C4 O' W6 }> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
; E1 f. G' Y, ?# }- O> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
& g& ?( b% a4 C) U# Z5 {$ I> 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
9 Q! x3 S2 S  Q6 |% R# Z( C$ E> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
! s# X9 n3 r7 ~0 }> Shay, run to third!'
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" J5 }6 [6 S( @" }  x7 V( O" f> 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
' J7 b* f. }2 q: \1 y: P# R$ H> 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,
- b8 L' w" b  h) P" j1 ?' F* l3 G> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
  L3 y7 S5 Z0 Y: Y# Z) Y> into this world'.
>
# f1 V# u. [# i& s: ]& f5 ?$ a> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
* R4 p  n" b' U- l$ _6 J/ T3 q7 N, t> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
$ u4 C7 B6 r9 x: `4 F> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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& {, W$ V2 H; _# S> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 x2 o$ Y2 K7 Z" Y- N% _> 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
/ d# A2 F2 Y3 O* k3 J  c' N# b; @) Z> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
, m( w" M# l5 m> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
- F5 l0 f4 k0 }. i. s0 b+ b1 r> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
6 M: C* [$ j( H1 q2 y  J  K* ^& T4 }; A> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
5 D/ p! I$ O/ ~) m0 w) z4 y1 r> 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?
>
, i( i; I$ @% D3 F; r6 u- p> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# q8 A7 L8 j/ w  ?! C> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
0 D. ^- M8 W( o; T6 P9 z> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.