Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
& ]  s4 W& G% g9 f8 I; I: H9 {/ w3 O, {> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
8 g4 B+ g' ^( Y: 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
; E3 n9 F) f. z4 n1 `> staff, he offered a question:
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, ~( t* S& A9 n+ b. Y> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
8 U( g& u) s7 E6 N> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! O* U5 z3 J4 t" U" G: w> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
# L7 ~. z- T) T> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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! g8 r' [1 x$ O0 G> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# }% B% A! G4 p1 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
3 j0 |, s1 H% g3 G6 {' S) O> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
4 A6 a  x: [; l8 E> 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
4 P9 e. T- H3 c> 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,
, [1 W* G' _, s# C> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
  ?+ E8 z3 Y0 z& @% z$ 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
> 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.'
>
& x, O8 T' d' l9 J. n' _> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
& }8 Q$ c3 i+ i- |0 W  t> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
5 n, @; d3 q2 R, B8 w$ c: w9 z* ~! X5 F> 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
, Q( x% q# F6 _( U> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
, Z! b+ O+ A- [3 U> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 f# e; N# ?. }> 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
  X" a/ B* J! q' D5 m) s> 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
) Z& W$ H: ]2 Y' V6 \; w/ K, ~+ U: y: N> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
> 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
7 }$ p3 Q& f4 I7 m& p: @# a> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
  z/ U% a9 I4 u$ ?6 [! B! Z> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
' O0 E* P- o4 n7 ?+ s2 `> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
1 C8 b& C  U- Y6 B5 k  H4 N! b> 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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; c, i! k( V  G2 [. i6 i7 e1 i3 ^- [> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 m- d* S1 b8 ]/ r( S+ I> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ }' D) K0 Q; W. f9 M# P> 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
; v6 G7 q5 R* R0 o> 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
> 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 Q" _) H( P3 W% J> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
& e; f7 H9 c3 X/ ^3 X& s1 J> 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,
: s# |2 @) f" \4 e8 P; l2 G8 F> 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
: p) V4 M' o( v, w> circled the bases toward home.
>
; K# B( V2 [9 r! n> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  p$ D1 m- X, z7 I  w" }# k> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
' ?- @; W1 @2 ], `" b( N> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ Q/ z2 w) g$ W' o> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
2 ~/ f' [; H; ~) J  ]  t, _> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" N4 a9 t& p0 x1 K  i* I> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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" M, S- I! ?6 _% `> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
; m9 }5 D/ ~0 B# O: B$ }. E8 f> 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!
>
9 H/ A9 ^* S% ^' S1 T: n. L) W> 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
+ C( H  |7 ^0 s3 N9 j( K& q# Y> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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% E) n+ Z) S' _4 a> 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
> 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
+ P* {4 j$ y; S% J% Q# a% P> 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
# _, f1 O7 m" a, @> bit colder in the process?
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. u3 F) h0 Y% S6 r* N. L- V; J> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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: K& S& U+ d% w  {$ ^0 f( m  s> You now have two choices:
, I+ z& \6 a- h% }) K> 1. Delete
& E+ _8 w( [/ a> 2. Forward
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, I) ~, f- t- ~> May your day, be a Shay Day.