Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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) j) ~3 }2 k+ G4 j> 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
: u  q0 D6 i6 y! O6 f> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 A" j" `, B1 [) a> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
) M: Q) p% l) u/ O; T% f> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
' }! Q! V2 b0 y> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 N' ^$ l" m! {7 l1 t> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
. s* f0 f4 O$ |$ h# r% D) ~> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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7 \4 l6 n+ C0 b> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* i3 X/ y( Z/ P, l> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
( y% O* ]; h- a# K/ \0 G1 l4 h# A> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
/ d+ R: {/ \; N* w8 B0 c/ W$ \$ X> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
/ M  i2 D4 S7 }> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
4 p  p' e' F' W. s> 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,
3 \+ S, w2 N% n4 }9 v+ ~$ c> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
2 o, V$ v7 [: _* @6 j> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
2 \8 ^) y& w6 B0 L, ]7 N> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
! m  W& ~5 O( I+ `( Y& ?8 y! p> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
+ c) O, K1 Z' l4 F; H> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
. ?8 D  ~, w$ s> inning.'
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0 {0 U0 g) [/ s& W' Y) X6 j> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' j" O$ b8 B% J, P> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
  Q$ L8 T. v8 X2 ^& g> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
4 ~. X4 ^! U% {" M5 Q0 q> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
2 z6 y9 r. B5 s/ b( r6 s6 W9 _$ A> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
) K9 Q2 e4 E+ a0 c> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
. ~& g* g0 ]" i. U- [> 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
8 _1 v/ R. h4 P% }) V> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
+ D( H1 u, f8 N! }* f9 H; ]% S> much less connect with the ball.
" F  w0 Y2 d  B) }" q  b> 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
( m- ?0 v* v0 [( H! c> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
, n  U. I: K  w" A5 i> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
) o2 p4 R0 O0 H# a/ ~> 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
, _9 }( [8 L$ J9 ~7 k, D( J1 g> 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,
1 S% |9 ^, W8 ~1 ^: U> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
  l2 c; F& S' g2 r> 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
> 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,
> 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
* H0 [# Y) k8 i8 I> circled the bases toward home.
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4 g" h5 S5 W' d( n' G+ P> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
# e9 l' p4 Z) a+ E' V> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
, e- h% `6 M! A8 \2 _> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
/ q8 N1 d3 ~. v3 z. F> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
; `6 `, ?+ u6 s! D  Q$ a> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
0 B3 T- p) b9 q. r. O2 [9 g> '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
$ U8 h* N8 i9 I& d( F> into this world'.
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' x0 O  y" ^+ y6 `* q. l> 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!
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7 ]4 l% ]* x5 m9 l8 `> 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
3 f! d, E+ \8 C* [9 a> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
0 f1 V3 Z7 W* ?6 h) W5 L' g> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
0 g5 E/ r; F9 w) L) N7 I  I- y> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
) F9 d. Y: @- _, A, X> 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
  ~4 k( L; K- _& m7 X( y> 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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* `# c9 {' C6 R. k> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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; v+ A6 ^; I3 @2 |# K0 j* \4 }> You now have two choices:
: l7 r, e( X+ s6 T> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.