Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> 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,
& T9 R! N/ E) T> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
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4 x/ ]3 a5 \. o* E> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
8 o$ P( X6 Z7 n, J> 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?'
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8 k5 b* ?* y4 H; ~> The audience was stilled by the query.
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) P* o5 M: m8 T> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
0 S/ ?! i4 h9 m( L( v% y> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 V5 H1 D2 L$ m> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
" z) \" `; k$ s- V) p8 h9 ^> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
1 r) z6 ]6 p7 i( f> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
; l  K" e" F$ U; u8 l> 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
1 b. }& m, ]. z- g- f" J$ O> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
1 q$ k8 r2 p, W2 P5 h> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 v  [+ O) b" T5 T> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
$ v- X! r. p' U" T0 ?> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
5 T# H4 ~/ b' n# w: E> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
) T2 M4 q& v" x$ l+ H% P* Z1 d> inning.'
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4 B5 ]3 y0 C8 y3 Q0 A8 j> 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
( W+ C  H8 Z0 [9 l* G3 D4 K> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
. q, w6 m8 A! ]9 T: }' ~> 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
/ ?  k; ]! i9 y7 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
, g. Z  r7 C5 t. |( X+ s. v* m> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
" G2 Q/ h$ n6 _- k  R3 a2 Z> 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.
>
> 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,
/ A% Y* k) s) V5 x; w# p> much less connect with the ball.
5 {+ Q+ l  U7 z, G3 F* O2 j> 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
$ _% u& r6 h4 I( N( O9 o> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
. M) d, b% K# C/ C' x> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
7 ]0 p1 E! I4 R+ H> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
* M) s( s$ J9 Z) S5 M> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 Q" \- p+ Z' i; b> right back to the pitcher.
>
% d8 i1 b; ]6 K$ l% K$ V  y% e> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
' C3 v4 `6 x* ^* y> 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 S: \4 Q7 |, _$ E> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
9 q; y2 |" O: w% Y9 t> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 ^( E9 K3 q2 S> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
2 e; d# r: h: X> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
' }+ }& n: R) [, I$ p7 t: c> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
5 r/ z3 _# x* i2 T> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
$ R' X5 T+ ^  b0 O, b> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
% F1 h. Y. ?, x& D  S> 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
2 {8 v7 D3 ~/ i8 n6 }- F7 }# \! L. N9 n> 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
1 A- `. A  C2 T( N7 x8 F2 }> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
6 p2 r; U1 l1 Z  l0 p! }> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ S" K: w, j- _% b8 M' \> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
8 ~7 G1 T9 b0 |4 h; g( N> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
& s, b( L7 S8 e3 k* `> game for his team.
>
* h' f! t2 M: }> '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'.
>
( L+ {2 }8 k: V4 V  ~- J/ T; f> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) m4 L1 j' H4 S, [9 z& C. p> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
" E3 L/ ~' H: V; N4 W1 v> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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; A) J3 e. W( m% A* `1 x> 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
) O  `: Q  ]7 m) [2 i7 V> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 \# R6 O, m8 }; }8 o- e+ V> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
# F, h# [4 B  {9 _, O> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
  v8 w: y+ B8 Q! g# L. L( c> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
( @. O: S: w* w, D) e7 t; y& ]2 r% N( f+ @> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
# Y# l  d% ^( M> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
& E' e! W5 K) T; S# C1 H> 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
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 ?5 d! p/ V3 @; ^> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
7 T- o& q  G8 w8 m: Q9 b- s> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.