Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 V9 I( D3 w' f2 p  p> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. e: b8 r, c: z  M& `> 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
4 z' i- N: N; j6 x4 `! H> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
+ [1 i' P3 S' @& l4 D1 B> 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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' H; C* R5 Z  V! r& O) g3 U! y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
5 J& \8 _& i7 _' q; `8 Q+ d> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
2 L6 J+ C" Q4 P8 C> treat that child.'
>
' b1 T2 }1 y% O2 c' v$ `; D> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
: ]' h( N0 z2 @' K  o- t" i2 B. P  J> 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,
> 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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8 ^- n' ?, e2 P& C> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
* Y2 ~: {, A" t8 }% ]> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
4 O& ]: x+ o9 H6 E1 C/ k0 \> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
0 C- _; [. W4 A> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
5 C1 R: y0 }' a9 G  K>
> 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
7 A3 @( b9 n" A> 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
* u8 n& S0 M* O6 f; U& O( L> 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
> 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
5 y9 N7 c7 q$ r/ N> 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
: `  Q0 |; B$ ]( Z* M* k+ X> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
) L  |2 g. \7 x1 c  f9 `9 t2 Q& Y> 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
! l8 i9 P8 `7 ~/ S> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
% J7 v# x' I9 h  f8 x4 ]> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
. o4 O% R- }( ?; q5 f+ n8 u4 d> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
- d% y. X; N* [> 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.
>
6 ?2 x4 k5 |  q$ h9 k# m> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 N& a  ~0 `1 c4 _> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* F  K1 F" M& Y( _6 k> 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.
>
& m% ?+ z' j, V' z6 j: B* c> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) H6 O# i9 W6 f2 A6 H> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) }1 T0 X7 Z" |0 M+ V> 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
3 X( i/ i# Z" @: X- U% t" P8 m> 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
0 G$ t4 }8 Z2 m7 E> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
( S8 L- u' x  C5 \> circled the bases toward home.
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5 M/ N% [( p' Y& V/ D> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
  y0 n/ Z) ?. Y# O/ c# m> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 ?3 b& x  o- B2 ]> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
! [3 h$ g. X& I2 a% F: V# Q> Shay, run to third!'
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0 l6 z6 y8 v! e, c% \) X2 |> 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
> 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,
& t- J9 f( O( L" \' W5 j9 l> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
5 v$ g1 p* X- e' ]$ o> into this world'.
>
4 |' [; u+ ~" a( X/ L4 w$ J> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 h4 x/ W5 H0 p- i% c> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
/ U# i( O. C4 n) |+ J2 F4 f6 V5 ?> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> 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
* F/ h) }( ^* g9 g# `7 `! t3 n" Q> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
1 w+ F  D6 T) v8 l> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
* j' `  G& P% q: M: b6 a> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
: v( E8 F" ^- ]6 j' H7 Y9 c0 L>
> 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
2 v& I- M& a# \# {! {5 E> 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
0 J, h/ N8 a8 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
; l  b5 o1 K& I/ a3 a0 f) N> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" w% d7 ], ~5 W, J) b, v% r> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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2 r$ G  J# O5 ?! |> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
* y  V$ D: H7 \; D$ ~# G! V9 ]  O& s. [> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.