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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. K. n1 t' }  H! k' ]) _> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ h: O% N! l8 X& A3 r> 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
7 ]2 ~) k  g7 b! i) d> staff, he offered a question:
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7 R3 a# f5 f- w7 s' x  b> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
1 ?- S* B0 x7 C+ m+ \> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
) f+ \6 [( F3 O; Z> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
. c3 P8 g* u1 E> natural order of things in my son?'
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: b, @: u: v5 C- w  f2 j  G> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
- v6 r! A2 s3 r> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
  h; y% E& g& e2 C> treat that child.'
>
' E; V- R% ]- C. Q; J> Then he told the following story:
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. X+ y! e& v( Z6 x> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
( t  ?, {, I2 `& F6 L. O% Y> 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
; A) H: c- {, e> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
6 I! Q' U6 g% @# Y: f" Q6 H2 E> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
> 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
> inning.'
>
: Z" J" e1 [+ h1 c4 {6 X/ C" {/ S, P> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
/ A' n4 j/ \; T5 x8 f% k8 n! R> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
  e: m) _4 u; l* G8 P> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
- h0 C# U7 t+ p3 c> 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
> 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
4 L, D! j! [" A2 t1 F6 h% I> 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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> 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
" U% M/ E& J6 E7 c2 h2 n( H  N4 \6 i> 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
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ F/ g$ f  x4 [( q% U0 h. F> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
8 P7 h" Y0 A9 F> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
8 `; t' ?8 Z6 z' P% ]3 F0 B> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
5 Q- |1 u' h9 M* a) X/ F0 W" k/ P> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
+ y, A# s! K3 a1 @> right back to the pitcher.
>
7 s, @  `5 U  D) P7 N5 J> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
$ a4 v, P$ }8 _' `& D* z> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
) _$ F- z! s& ]+ }4 U> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
. {4 ?* |& _- h5 h: b> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
0 C3 U  W. ^" ~; L> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
. [9 F5 J) i) ^: k7 E* L' e> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
" N8 Z& {* I+ @9 y. _> 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
; k8 ~1 m9 P$ j> 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
5 g/ \, _. [3 y2 x: Y% K> 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,
) k% I5 ]5 B- Y7 z' U> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
# b' z5 h. i! {2 c( F> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
' b8 w9 v+ p1 v% c+ w8 W' u> circled the bases toward home.
>
  i$ m1 I2 u9 ~3 m> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 N3 I$ O" z& ?4 ]$ H# `> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
# C$ M: h1 `" h1 q2 z# ^> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
% @& o7 d+ ~% @. d4 f: S> 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,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
( E, P! k( K0 p" x( }9 y> into this world'.
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> 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
% q- K3 q8 H: V9 F" K1 t> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
' i& ?/ {8 j6 r$ j( t/ c> 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
4 ]9 `' W: p; i: h% k4 o, `! Z2 m) s> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
# D" P6 A6 n, j* p- [, X8 I+ G8 X> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
7 C6 _* L9 v" e6 x4 U> 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
- Q2 R/ l  L$ T6 o: Z4 U# a" f: `* X> '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
. d" X4 R; n& s" L& F+ D9 v# h> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
2 {/ j# \4 M/ e- _/ M! \2 g' l> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
% O! Z6 R$ A, h; V4 r> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
4 l5 H* W, I# H: Y/ ?> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
* h  ^  I* {3 Z' S' q! K- {& q> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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8 i3 k/ U8 T$ `# C/ ~> You now have two choices:
3 a6 E. X/ [0 [8 _> 1. Delete
- {( ?" ]  w3 P5 q6 k9 J5 ^: l> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.