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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4 n4 D5 X) n* p  H# E3 W# r7 ]> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" Q5 e. N5 N! ~$ ^> 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
' G! W6 _/ {9 x) W- s1 W& b  B9 y: [> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! e7 D2 v( q# @  D+ L/ _> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
4 i. j, c3 b% \. h> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
$ B4 n$ O) ]* A- }( X> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' w' J6 G9 ^$ u/ U> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
2 \- x3 X9 T% h8 _. ^& g> treat that child.'
>
. {9 j7 e  u, C! D% j# ?" |4 I> Then he told the following story:
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! s0 I3 Q! N1 @  Q7 E> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
- ^% x6 o; N. U% `& W3 m2 p> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
& R3 F: O3 t" Q$ D! `' _# i> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
+ p9 e5 J1 a: Q2 Y3 F> 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
9 `2 `3 p- U% }. p8 B2 a> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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9 `# F; X0 R' x$ d6 {> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
8 e; ^/ |* y& B8 ?  B% x> 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
> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
( q3 J$ l1 @' _1 i  i5 V1 h> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
4 g, J/ L, ]1 r" C> 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
6 S7 Q; H% I3 ?6 _> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
6 @1 `5 |! z6 u> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
2 {& U# c8 H) y, L. z7 e/ {- K> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 ]2 F1 W2 F& C> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
9 Y( q( @/ E+ |8 P- x  c8 i3 n> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
; b  b" o9 Z" G' i9 ~+ }8 V5 _. a> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
2 c! O8 N$ B# S- w" |& l" a# c> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
5 `  r! ]* ?3 C( M& B> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
* d" b2 @1 N# ^4 ?% m/ e9 H> 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
" e8 b: t! I5 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
> 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
2 r3 l& f( Q0 ~, J9 w: y> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) @4 `' E! t' c' m4 Q> 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
+ ^8 O, H. }0 B5 f0 p) J> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( ^2 ]" \6 r7 P: r. k' d# Z! N( H( }> 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
. _; d3 r( e! f. E8 F1 ?8 l( t> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% o3 _* O- u* E1 y$ d> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
6 f3 ^4 |- ^0 [# u" I> 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
6 W8 c0 \# p& Z, L> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
, R  A+ `+ \: {5 e% n- j5 l> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
6 O4 Q; x: g) b4 `1 G2 |> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
) M$ i( E5 X% S> 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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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
+ v0 m5 q$ E4 {> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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" K1 K$ J( n' G% n6 f> 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!
>
; N- }& L4 {: V( ~> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
7 u6 ?6 O4 g* p, a" R' h> 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
# T9 t+ Q# [! U> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
& `' f" i* T  x> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
- t0 l7 I; X+ F' R- q* [> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
* k0 U: S3 @2 W6 }( D% v0 x> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
; h, ?  B( ]2 E% Z( }& B> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
$ _1 q# ~; p1 I* q> 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.
>
! R# F/ k) a5 ?4 Q. ~! [> You now have two choices:
! E  g! E4 N' G  t5 \9 ^; z0 [1 B> 1. Delete
5 C4 X0 J; P6 c" z" t8 H> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.