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?
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6 B  M% {1 z5 x) f4 u* t* y> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
; z& Q5 x3 \1 m1 h& F$ }> 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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
" T' i0 s$ N' G. f> 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
9 s+ s8 t# B, }" j7 k> natural order of things in my son?'
6 N) ?2 A  d% J- ~0 G>
4 M5 X- v3 V# ^9 W/ \> The audience was stilled by the query.
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! w8 N/ @0 x' r# _> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
; B7 V+ g" p, Q> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
8 P* u! w# I( x) _> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
4 p  e6 t" f" Z+ w! _> 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
/ z6 n3 ?+ |0 X4 E- j0 Y> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
: N9 T* W; t( y/ w% I: p> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
; \/ h* K0 u6 K, C! I> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# b9 z5 s3 |8 {1 x3 B, f, u0 L" X> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
" d1 d% @+ h+ U1 a3 I/ J- X> 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
# W3 m3 b) {( d, x( D$ G> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
8 g5 q$ G4 K7 Z> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
/ L  u- i4 k% O> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
$ G6 w. z+ c" z1 X: @0 A> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
% w" e% V$ l1 Q# ?1 l' c( _> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
  l. D! G7 X) v1 ~, s> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
# r6 V0 b! h, j7 L& K7 K+ N, h3 z> 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
" K3 m2 b; C$ @7 d+ }, _( j7 r* j> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
+ F; [- \) }; a9 z: X> next at bat.
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$ v& \/ k4 j9 j. P+ F> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
5 L7 J0 K* x2 I$ q( L! O> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
; {, G. Q, o/ `7 Y> 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
( X/ h  p# m# {8 ]; H/ b) i> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
) m: M: E& F, q1 I. i; [+ N> 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
: I& z. P$ b8 r) W6 J2 r) ~; Q> 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.
>
% R3 L2 A# s% w> 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
> 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
- V# l; l; o. ?) q1 @8 F  X> 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.
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> 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
> 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
1 W. S2 f/ M6 k: Z5 }9 t4 Y> 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
+ y" B  u! I0 ]. o) r' m> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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1 ?5 F: P/ g3 ?) f> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  p0 t/ c4 G6 L+ H* U7 j- x> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
3 ~$ p1 R/ x7 ]. {% @* N> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 J# g$ B# M7 N( u: `4 a> 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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( z6 d) \% |( @+ h; J+ `& o> '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
. _) l" E6 y" g2 a+ U> into this world'.
# [4 o- p* Z  ^" M9 i# p>
! Z( K2 Q& C  t" z> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% @' j" O, g$ T2 d* K9 a/ W> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
# E2 k  D+ U$ f> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
+ Q6 c0 i5 R0 [7 B> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
- W$ t9 c+ o8 M# d# m" _> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
. f5 ~8 H/ E" V$ A1 S$ s+ {  P> 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
> 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
* d6 v1 C) w. 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
7 y2 F$ x3 d* B  R) c' F> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
% a. A5 f' v& h) S- Y4 i3 H% A> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
) W/ o- `( O" `> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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4 `) `0 l4 [# e# M+ I> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 H# U; E0 V& M4 \8 M7 [> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.