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?
>
7 _0 J& U/ i, [> 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:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
8 ]" m/ j$ X4 k3 F* \0 W) Z& N> 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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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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( ^* b" @9 R  K" q% |8 Y; Y, o9 Z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
) l* S0 P6 ?) K# U- N> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
( h4 z4 [3 x: x% p! G> 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
1 s# ?: t0 f6 P& m2 `4 @> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
> 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.
>
: I  h& I& r% J4 n( {> 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
0 g9 o/ g/ e1 B, A1 ?3 {) y2 V: i> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
0 h6 y2 w; C1 l8 K. `> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
+ |, v. L; }# [2 ^3 R. G> inning.'
+ `) _# _! ~) X! G1 s>
/ L) X- }8 m6 v> 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
! i7 D* Q- f" j0 R5 H& B% W' d$ n> 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
' q2 S- i8 ~4 j( C> 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
> 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
# J/ k7 |0 O2 O3 ~" V$ p> 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,
8 s7 k/ r6 `! T5 j> much less connect with the ball.
$ M# ?. u" q# f1 O> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 k6 _* W  G3 {& e, m, ~> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
/ ~7 C5 J) ]+ m( ^+ A" _' l5 I: J> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
! p/ {) f, _% z7 y2 Z4 [( X' I. w> 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.
2 D) h7 n* Q% T% H$ y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
; {" Y) L/ q- m; N, t> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 E3 N% O, s/ h9 Y5 o) T. W$ D> 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
> 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
5 m" l4 x9 I( @3 w> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
7 ^1 u3 O$ Q8 ~+ F> wide-eyed and startled.
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- F8 t/ K- ~$ N1 k> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
& P) R1 E) ]5 y8 W/ i) z> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
- [4 s8 K- A1 m' K, |" v/ m> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> 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
0 ^4 j3 I2 N  y) I, v> 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
/ c, Q/ V2 v- Z, y! a9 T, \3 u> circled the bases toward home.
  [* Z9 r, l( V% E>
$ I& K$ w: v! z> 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!
- w3 G. V! d2 V- M" Z> 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
! G5 I) F/ k9 W% g9 Z+ W; Y( M> 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,
> '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
+ u1 c% h* F0 {3 n9 g> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
! V2 N: c) ^1 F' Z> 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
& X- Q+ l$ }. @> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
; G% [7 }5 v1 b> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
% u4 t& {3 q1 p, Y> 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
1 [( k& T+ i, Y$ f6 R; S1 g> 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
2 \$ }# H# k% K3 N> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
9 _: W( A$ m# z) h' X* _+ z& O9 Z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
. C: p/ ~4 w; o$ n> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
9 e( n5 s! R! m# u& s* c6 n$ {>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
$ n1 C8 N2 c& V+ O>
> You now have two choices:
3 Y- ?0 R5 j, K5 c- c- G9 A> 1. Delete
4 E. f+ P! s1 L> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.