Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  o0 h8 J9 a( z8 x- [1 o2 F> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
4 E' v5 Z0 |$ g& F> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ ?! e) t- K" U+ P( _5 t> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
8 Y) h. ?) W3 M. f! r> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
& r( C3 d8 `* K> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 L/ Y. A+ n& t/ A( G7 \> 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
: i" ?& W2 m' A8 \> natural order of things in my son?'
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2 ]# C' R: @4 |" w> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
; s4 i; t  E. N2 U+ l( k> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( d  V2 S& w$ Z6 W) p0 h5 [5 q0 q( R> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 X7 t/ |: ?7 K> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 l- n2 S0 i# ?4 O4 w> 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
> 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
5 U9 z" x1 @, g# r' V" P> 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
' P, L$ K9 V$ D/ J> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
2 z! |0 w. J% k> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 i. b2 j2 `5 x" c5 I1 H6 s> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
- R7 Q0 |6 P9 ]/ e% E$ Z> 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 g$ Y1 ^8 N/ ]> 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
> 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
: I1 M4 R7 A, I- {+ l1 v" R& N1 G3 ~. V> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> 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.
>
& g/ V6 a6 R' x: L> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  G5 k# O1 y2 p: U( `* L> 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,
5 F6 {) e& R0 Y; y> much less connect with the ball.
) Y5 }; C, T: |9 I/ i: Y& R> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
4 s+ q% `, C; I  K> 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
6 G! K" r! s' x: ~> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
/ G2 k4 X# }. i& r1 W> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& E$ @+ m9 u0 |$ G4 T> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
2 m) e9 F% r6 L# p$ f* }( J4 y+ U> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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1 v; Q" m2 L) h* R, @8 m- T> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 K, x3 D2 z& N/ R> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
( ~" z  F1 U: b* y4 d, d' P( U> wide-eyed and startled.
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) j- n( t: K) v> 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
6 O$ _. a9 E* s$ ]+ 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
> 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
( u  Q4 h. ~/ s) @> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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9 n* h+ C( B- }& i. a7 ~% B> 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!
& Z8 _9 _( P/ C5 |, F: Y1 y, B5 j0 D> Shay, run to third!'
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5 R3 h+ g7 o1 k  ]> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# H4 F1 x3 {+ g" d! [* v1 F7 M0 y> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
# m$ m. r2 k& h> 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,
1 W) }# T0 O* f' Q. {4 ?> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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/ q' @, }' L9 ?, o1 r4 x> 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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* K# `* x% I$ _' ?% b> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  z! V8 Y1 l3 x2 N. \& y> 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
; b4 z7 a8 R  f> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
> 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
- c; i- j) Y8 Y0 x4 `( q, z> 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
3 U9 p" @% F) L- x% h5 f; }' \> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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! J( \/ L* ]% _1 H% P> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.