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
# e, H2 ?/ ~$ _2 r' r$ f> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
% b4 b! ]7 i& L# d$ r> 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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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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.
>
- s( O5 v4 A* q2 y" P' }> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* o) I* H" ]' z> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
, }: @" \, Q* j; Q" U& W> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
$ w5 C! u) G! u# F% H$ y3 U* a> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
: ]8 T6 b+ B% F: W4 L; O) b> 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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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
$ U! F  f* i' K+ @1 z> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
# {8 u: `3 p$ ~> 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
5 \  W' C- x8 b/ Q9 M8 a" R$ @> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
) G4 _- T1 i3 h! J5 f8 ^9 v5 x0 t> 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
7 ~& x7 h7 \% z: i: r4 X> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
' f% J; p. X5 P; {> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
6 U, @7 e0 s+ d, h( q" b: s> 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
* r1 m" A% j" l: H+ e4 H> 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
; n% P/ z) R1 G> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
) V' v' [9 J/ ^( g2 g2 v> 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.
5 Y; K2 `" f1 D  R" N1 I3 }> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
6 P3 c$ Z. X$ E- f> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
% ^0 N1 g- I0 d* Q4 k/ T> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
1 _+ O6 H, x- r5 s4 y) `# ?" Y> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
3 L% w1 T( l9 Q3 _. o" U> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
) N: Y& C; B, H6 j+ N; a& ?, Q! T* e" X> 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
" H" f1 p& J. c0 l: I, A; q8 m> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
" I  n: w0 n! t1 ^( @> 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
; K! ~+ j+ w( H> circled the bases toward home.
>
# f! T( F* m( g# K> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
) [% S9 P: @' B+ y5 X# c> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 Y9 b6 ~7 Q7 ^( G4 s+ n> 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
. k! E+ U! z6 O/ |3 Q. a> game for his team.
>
: K% o, L9 z6 Z5 v> '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'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
- |8 d9 e/ A8 r$ {9 ]1 R> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
+ b; h- M, h# S1 ?+ q3 V) B4 R% @" _> 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
# K. ~. L/ L4 s* G" ~0 v8 H( z, q> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
0 d5 M. ^, `% d. L: X> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" \4 h& M5 _, a4 Z1 s> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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2 Z( l8 E' b4 r% p; @# |> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; n* H  m" u. S7 d/ Q& |# }! Y7 @> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
9 T0 g1 D2 a% j9 T$ A, |  }7 D> '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
3 h/ p# b1 ]3 s9 ?7 u* u  n> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 x$ j8 X) b' h/ H, 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
: j0 X- _2 M( l, N5 F0 u> bit colder in the process?
>
9 K  x. p1 F/ a4 t! ~> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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+ \* M3 f/ Q: n> You now have two choices:
8 {5 f2 J$ T* K0 o; Q* V> 1. Delete
! ~% B2 {; S" N> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.