Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 U' q% h- r9 H9 j, J> 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,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
7 C* ^+ U& {9 ?! Z% ~+ Y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
, x5 l; G, S" O1 P* p3 m' f: v* |> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ Z& D. p2 s( k' g/ ?> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) B6 X/ P7 P4 o) i( Z: ?$ s% I> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
2 {. |0 i8 z; M8 d  e  e% ?> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
! M0 G9 D9 C4 P3 T& `+ }) `! c2 ]; c> natural order of things in my son?'
6 Z7 Z# s* e+ f9 G  I7 o>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
( y7 W# X. e- X& e% w, S> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
; P$ x% ^' ?1 N3 }, c9 H' X> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
+ ~' t* d* }: R$ s2 e+ E0 H/ p> treat that child.'
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* ~1 m9 F: G, r) u* C% r6 b> Then he told the following story:
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; n* O  U( Y0 x+ j4 A> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
+ Y! m- S; U+ P2 S8 L; X> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
& R" R: T6 h, ?& ]4 _* I> 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,
6 y/ @5 }, B; D0 W8 P0 o' }$ l( N$ t' i> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
0 Z( x; @' q( b9 ~1 o- D) R> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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( z. `: k% `4 {' o> 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
' A* j9 J1 V1 G# e* `' p> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
; ]- X1 o6 g& n0 H1 V> 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
% s. ?8 I$ z) F" f, o> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
2 x1 E9 L' R  b, e' S% o> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
  C- p  j/ J$ `; Y: w4 w# h> 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
3 \% z: V/ U. _) X$ d> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
5 y* |- X6 {4 v3 k& |6 `> 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$ D, Y* }% B3 |$ J> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
1 {/ I! G* {6 `5 o> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 {/ B8 j8 S+ H" m8 r" v> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
9 Y( q' o/ ~8 f0 N) V+ M  |> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
7 N1 T: v& {5 i- T* A/ z* _- o> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
( {5 o1 p( G9 D0 w$ x> 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
, }9 s8 `& n$ f  I% y; ~> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
3 X2 C# k+ ^& H# @> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
% `7 r1 ^# O# P% o1 R" d> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
1 s9 p0 p1 F" x> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
  s( I3 M: A- ]4 I! h  |- n; e$ N> 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,
' o$ i, g( a7 @> wide-eyed and startled.
>
& k: X. M' s2 ~% |9 H: L& I1 t> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) u9 K. s# y9 n8 Z" }+ o% Z. g> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
! V$ M6 @; [! h> 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,
& v# u; n1 Q% a9 z' e1 u1 G> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
0 ~! _# D2 G' z+ Q% ]6 r' `6 H- v! ]> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
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+ Q% R! w$ ~3 v% Y9 T6 L4 N9 S> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
  }3 r+ i( N0 N( M> 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.
>
> '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
> into this world'.
3 |3 S6 j9 ?5 R: u( I/ n3 v6 I>
. {# x9 R" d! m+ v> 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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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
: C  A$ c& [( v# |> 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
- X8 }6 w4 U9 a, g: ^9 E> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
1 n  y- k  }8 n* D- w4 \> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
5 m1 s% E* m7 ]7 g7 [5 |9 ~/ L> '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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
1 k* a( N- y1 B+ J/ m> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
' R4 N) _$ k8 e- N/ B0 A* F" W> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
, B% y$ j4 o& v  g5 y' Y> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.