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
) ?+ Y& A# G4 R> same choice?
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1 E, q8 `7 J5 h+ c6 N7 }> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
- k+ m) _6 `  P> 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
0 V& ^' N3 C: d% s2 `; p> natural order of things in my son?'
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" w! \2 H* [, f7 `> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
0 q5 r, g! d! t+ `5 y; g> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 N: ~9 c. X& q* [> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: G- |% R9 n  l* d" W3 ?6 e" \> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
0 o! A7 C1 B& B> treat that child.'
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7 i5 P5 i" h# C2 U& t3 R% e> 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
! ~* M2 X  r) E; J# w. T8 L; r> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
# n/ m- y2 `& O! b> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
+ R8 H+ n: o( r5 W7 W> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
, a& J3 y$ w  Z" ^& K0 |$ P, m> 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
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 h% O4 V! S6 `( x% j> 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
> inning.'
>
. I+ f" a  F. T  u; [7 D> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
* }/ q# S; G4 e6 x$ ~; v> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
; W  k4 {0 L$ e6 |- g- ?% b1 B> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
8 T2 C' ^6 k# {0 r  j3 k  V> 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
( s4 b5 E5 i2 R4 H5 z3 x> 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
> next at bat.
>
# W2 v- o6 w7 n7 U+ F> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
" o/ w' W) j* G; H> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
: u" C# b+ ^, D! g! ]3 j. g  U> 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
> 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
6 ?9 e8 u# w9 L. d8 u> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
! i8 s* {+ T: U6 u' y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
/ n& M- ]! ^4 W* E, ]> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 f! {* v. E- M# C> 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.
>
# ~' F) a4 U1 q; P> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
7 M: `1 e6 Z0 T) C8 R" t  x6 x' r/ I> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" Z; I2 [- S- G> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
5 A* F# j+ v4 n/ X" [; }3 g2 [> 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
# K- T) R0 S% p) J> 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,
9 v8 Q# ?3 c& ?# O6 v> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: D$ Y5 a# R( K6 H3 S> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
+ S% O' ~& p: [( _> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
1 f' j1 g: }6 A5 s> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
' H1 R: ]; T3 d  ^/ n, s> game for his team.
>
* t1 q" l2 k6 _9 z+ d8 D6 _> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 u( e& e4 s9 ?2 m3 t  a1 I$ z* e' I, \> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
7 j+ u9 `; I: w( g7 H> into this world'.
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+ ]  @* o: S) `> 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
8 W5 }! ?; U0 _' ~1 B* |7 r1 S> 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
! G. e+ C3 H; j( u3 B7 G7 E; b> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
) k8 @' X/ \# G* w. p/ W7 ?> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
  ]: g" l5 A( U5 c! l/ t> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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- _- s- C  ~$ ?5 V' l> 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
8 ?8 I1 p" z+ b: Q3 y, K3 O> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
  P3 J( V4 m0 c8 X) `, D> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
" d) {9 u* X1 `6 u> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
; c3 L4 V+ W$ G  |; |/ O: t> bit colder in the process?
>
( _. }% u: [: }' m+ I: V> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
6 v1 c: L, O2 M+ Y% c' P> 1. Delete
9 f+ ?' R  q( H! u: M* f- p> 2. Forward
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# q# u, V2 N4 [1 s> May your day, be a Shay Day.