Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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- x! C9 }" i; l$ z; r> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% i4 p: P% n. D5 T9 t! E2 y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> 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
; R9 u& \; A2 t9 l- c5 M> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
  ]+ N% h. t- R% |& T  F+ x> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> 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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% k* z3 r% i7 A/ L. }> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
7 I; Z( k1 ~4 K1 e* r1 G> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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; s0 W$ {. e* p! X9 k& d> Then he told the following story:
>
& k7 i  b3 o2 x+ ?# A$ h> 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
> 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 N( O) H8 R> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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' \, l! t" D8 P+ r> 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.'
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. j) b# D* ~; ^. D+ n> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
3 j* R: l& _/ j- ]8 q> 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
> 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
( {+ f0 U+ u+ ]> 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
- i( p% i' I) f> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
# Y4 Z* U" n: v* F> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
" K! ~" w- _2 f3 A% J0 w> next at bat.
>
7 P) S2 c, m" o' e% W3 s$ n% W> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
# Q" g+ K! i4 @% B' C& W5 v> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
* P7 Z9 Q4 V+ c> 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
8 c" ?. J9 w1 q> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
4 s9 I& G5 Z- u8 m1 j% S8 @> 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.
>
5 P) f2 @* `7 b! s- [) D> 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
9 v0 H! H0 l9 D> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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" r4 A) o) T3 b1 h1 ^( y* C2 w. ?> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
4 X0 |' o* r; R> 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
/ [( r3 k* I0 N4 k> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
) L- d' f1 H! x0 n' L$ f> wide-eyed and startled.
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- D' e! r% w1 {! \$ D: s) J> 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
8 m" i! Q( w& s* J" |7 T2 [2 |0 u- ~> 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
& c' q5 K' m' F1 a0 ~3 ?> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
" m1 A' k) k- ]7 z> circled the bases toward home.
>
) \& c$ a  l1 l) G( ]1 Y) I; B> 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
0 g2 n- ^% x$ X) t) s7 d6 ]> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
3 Z7 K7 C* ]# ^/ x; Z> Shay, run to third!'
>
9 e+ j. x9 h% \3 y- R) d3 M> 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
; M0 I. {2 J! k1 a6 l) }/ E+ X> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
) M1 F2 C% n8 V7 E2 n% ]> 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
9 B# B; S  S* J/ p$ L> into this world'.
>
0 E( I& F- ~5 K2 W+ @+ _0 H> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 R6 @0 z; A7 }, r5 {, V3 G> 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!
>
> 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
> 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.
>
" l: I3 {9 M& X% k> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: s3 ]8 C# b  w> 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
! i& v, \) k, P4 Z5 L3 s$ O> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
+ Q; z: s& E+ a" J8 q0 ^> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
5 v4 ~3 f+ Q6 v4 D3 z> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
8 T/ C" b! v' r$ \1 k> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
9 S5 H6 U7 T% S, G1 C. s# d: S> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
, u; j. o- B. Z* w> bit colder in the process?
>
( t% G% R  s/ D5 V4 l> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; [" e/ `8 j+ G0 K, R% q> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
3 ^  @9 E5 v% ~+ _>
; t! W5 D0 M% h$ `> You now have two choices:
" Z6 M3 j) Y) q" e% F( y> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
1 E% ?& q* z" @> May your day, be a Shay Day.