Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 O( m8 _2 v( v, z& J+ ]> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
$ O6 H; Z+ o8 i1 H6 e> same choice?
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' p* S- S" r* \  a) U> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
% b" c% l* }. f0 d- a+ E# W3 ^2 p8 m) m5 `> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
" }& w* Q) t3 r# a! O> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
* x3 O0 U+ F. ~( z# f4 E. s! O> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
' L3 S' N9 f8 a& s( T> 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.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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1 I- \  A3 y9 B5 d/ y5 m; t> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
  S( S. {: x" _* L0 u; I) W> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
% n+ g* E( p! @, |> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
& X& b% E0 P9 h) G0 |" Y> 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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$ m1 r/ m0 R% R  B0 t4 b  \% O> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- ?1 n) ?+ z' J# i* V/ U8 g4 ]& w> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
! r: U  N9 B  \5 P> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
  h. {1 _! z# R7 m> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
& p% b8 A; f. h( }$ J> 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
> 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
: ~0 u4 r4 `8 }, ~) R% X! d- y> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
2 l/ l; V; y0 r9 m, k% H> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
! M6 y1 p) b: v% K6 ~- d+ J> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
9 b, C* T( m) Q> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
- r! C% j6 {: e# X> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
7 Z' ~! h$ G% B" {# B/ L- j9 c> next at bat.
>
. W- }/ ?! E5 f( `' S) E2 k7 I. A+ i> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
3 L$ A5 k& W6 }& {/ Y# }0 c7 `7 Z> 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,
1 |, p, y( }) ^> much less connect with the ball.
7 ?0 g8 k- o" {7 o> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
' p' i, e$ K8 K$ @' Q/ K  k4 ]/ Q> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
/ Y0 A6 I/ r; n5 R# |( U7 ?> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
$ h9 a% l, y/ h& N, N9 k. @: y> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
; C' ?4 x* ^% D* Y6 i- A3 |> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
$ E: _: l" k* m. \. o> 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.
>
2 H# ?+ P5 U  x1 g> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
. |* D* W+ k3 m( S# }> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% t5 q) n0 i; [> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
! h  L/ M; v: n" B) D1 Q5 A: p> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
* M2 }0 c0 _% t6 z3 K5 n> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
1 v( w0 `5 z# X) U+ Z1 R> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
1 ?! X  v7 i3 ]8 {> 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
( Q2 l5 x" k& z/ N5 A/ s> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
4 b+ q6 k) j+ r. a> 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!
+ M) o) `- C; j. }> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
7 s$ V) ]6 \2 F) P, y6 G+ m> into this world'.
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4 B" A7 i9 t& k. ^5 ]$ s  H: f> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
- T$ k+ n- F7 J; j7 a1 j> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
5 X' T+ a/ P2 m> 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
$ D7 ^& k2 h& K, {/ S7 S> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
4 S* k2 c/ M0 K0 W. y  Y> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
4 I0 z4 E3 ]0 A> 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
" `: E2 e7 x3 I" l> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
6 p8 b7 F# W  C2 b> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
7 H4 z! S3 V5 e# t7 x8 w> 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
2 v% j; n) p5 V$ V2 X" I$ j! m> 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
6 U7 J# a4 ]/ L' n  E> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
; Z+ b* E  u, U0 l: x& N3 c> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
: D. Z% ], n& v) z- t( [% l9 u> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.