Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  d& K+ W& u9 l8 Q* U: p) l5 q% P> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
* b  N( \! _( \/ C/ y/ z4 }/ N> same choice?
2 s' |- r: Y* ?' y" v, k8 `>
> 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
. g4 D9 ^/ p" L' ^8 I$ I# y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
' h3 G/ c4 z* m2 t" @: W" G& A7 a> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
, B* q' V& U" \0 N6 w$ C> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
- l, l; P4 w" {> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
8 v# _2 [8 u. W$ T  N: a> natural order of things in my son?'
>
2 k2 w1 c7 I3 ?9 r: }4 `8 C3 v> The audience was stilled by the query.
% G0 |% `" n3 Y6 [: {- j# B>
6 Q8 }+ y" S, X7 l; ^- H> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
. g5 A6 A6 O# u9 a$ [' m> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
! t: f4 k4 f. n# W> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
/ M' p7 S9 e) w$ m/ F5 q> 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.
>
> 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
2 W, j$ D7 `( z) s2 T9 J/ `> 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
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
3 j' r# y: m6 q' L6 K> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
) H$ d# A6 K. R, s2 _3 V9 D> 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
' A' C; B$ O2 w> 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
& ]8 ?" S/ ]  k7 k# W7 q( [; r> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
+ [2 f; N7 r- b> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
+ ?- y2 I" W9 f9 S' w' A>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ Z3 {( [: J" Q9 ?# m> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
; R" q# u9 q3 S3 x& J> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
' A( C- j5 H2 W* [% p" u> much less connect with the ball.
* f# W0 U2 E2 _7 o: v; y> 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
> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
8 C$ H  v, Q3 A2 u3 L, m; N4 P0 g> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
. p- [+ {; N) _# d>
# U9 @, w+ [! Z$ j. p* o3 d: ]> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' ?" `! }  b2 L# g) N, s1 R> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
9 {0 d7 \; U* J$ z: y6 e) D> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
- G/ Q4 i, L- G. g; u; M  ]/ [> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
4 U2 d* x0 s) \% R' f/ y3 m4 |> 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
' |4 i5 f  o" x0 c+ F9 B) C, m% w> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
9 ^' h2 y4 Y5 S0 w2 J! V( h> wide-eyed and startled.
>
' q: p. j- [' D% h; I4 i> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
. Y3 E  M1 I. d$ v" J. e) Z> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% b7 p* T) W7 ~% G4 _3 U! Z> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
6 ~' B) N3 G9 p! D) X> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
& m- u7 n- k+ d2 U' u" G6 x> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
: B$ m2 E7 Y" w+ {" F- d> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
7 E& S* e; V: h6 x3 E  z> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
* N4 R' |2 s1 M/ R>
> 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!
: o: V0 P# |$ W) ~5 V> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
  J  F9 U% x, b" Y2 D' w> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
2 f9 W4 p/ e6 A& R: \>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 P4 y' I6 }; W9 W" ~6 S) ^> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
' _" u& V) }& c0 D) X> into this world'.
5 S' K! e2 }, [>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 [0 x7 `: p2 _" R) e8 \! B> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
" B4 n& T* ^  l) b0 S9 d> 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
  z, k, g% C7 C' K+ d> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 L) c; ^0 ^& I3 E6 T& ~; i# l. B  t> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
4 |1 d' _0 {4 Q6 X4 f% M) \>
! C+ P' H4 v3 \, ~5 X/ d* m% s> 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
1 U7 R# `% t' N8 |1 G> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
; a- i  i( i) a+ x> 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
9 s" X' q* D0 W) ?1 _3 X% _( f> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
- b; Q' F: x. f( V' d: O! `> bit colder in the process?
" w  X  W0 V: f2 q# G* S>
$ ?# e3 A$ j' F4 G8 u/ M> A wise man once said every society is judged by
: P- h5 [4 w) r9 ^> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
( ~, n7 R/ f( a> You now have two choices:
  ]/ U1 T8 L: e% @8 b1 `> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.