Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
& @4 R6 |2 Q+ z* j5 P> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
$ Y# F4 e/ R9 @1 q( p> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. W/ v& o0 {, D- B8 {+ J> 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
3 Y: e7 o( f6 ^> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 C2 a7 ]7 @3 A& H6 E5 f4 i> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 g  Z! i6 O- D; O4 y> 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.
5 D! _0 S) _# |4 T5 e* M>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 C  p" b# u% Z1 k9 e> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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. _' i5 Q+ o' j6 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
2 `0 u: M! r2 d$ B> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
% H1 _/ N# r) @6 X1 Y  [) l> 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.
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2 u% X2 x2 O. E: V" H/ }5 P$ z1 v" O> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
! j9 h9 c, w% k# ^3 \- U; O& |> 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
, _8 [3 R* R3 c& k( n> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
# z' o( d! r0 ]2 k2 d> 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
. x: F7 r: }. ]! f) S, w( ^> 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
  q( p6 j& Y: A9 j) [! P' y> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
' |1 k8 m1 q2 [1 L0 D0 {8 s> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
' }# o$ n; r6 m& m> 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
, W* P5 N$ p" Z9 ]> 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
; m% k! _5 _7 ~> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
9 K6 p9 S" k4 N) ]" [! O( @> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
$ k# p# |) s. {* Q> 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
% z3 P+ i+ t# ]% H1 D3 D+ B4 a> 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.
  J9 W6 e7 K) W/ p) X> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 q9 @  u+ q2 B: r/ \; a> 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.
>
' W1 }2 y: Q3 ^* R' i5 ~* B1 u4 Q> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
6 C6 P  `) J7 U) i( j* w( m> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
0 l$ ^4 v1 L' Y0 ]/ k6 v# Q> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
' _/ ^; C- [6 O2 K# q> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
7 s5 H  |; m7 c> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
' _  _! ^( j- z> 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
+ l8 G, s/ F2 x  W4 \$ E" ]> 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
. I! L5 r3 @. R& s, ~6 `> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
+ A  z3 O2 n+ H! Y" T9 N: J5 n> 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
1 T. x9 z' G: I$ N7 }" l4 z) k> circled the bases toward home.
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" p7 d& o, x% i% {; o5 d7 H; S> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
6 M  |. M  C3 T# @; X9 ?3 a> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  g' _+ Q( Y0 z2 l4 ^6 a> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
5 [: D3 i# n% l. |9 T& a> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
+ h# @! {) b) u7 Y% C> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
0 w5 p- f0 T# p7 Y> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
9 k1 e) \2 R; u; q7 \' X8 c> 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
% g+ d$ }3 T6 X> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 f# f( R5 @+ m9 w! J1 c> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
  V! M/ W: X2 b! ?9 {" {  p  Z> 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
3 {; N; b* B8 H+ e: M3 R8 k: _4 ~> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
2 e# z- l/ A+ J( D> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
) x7 o1 t8 y" D+ p* G> 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
- s: Y, p. i# q& h# o' C> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
+ ^& g5 N) I$ P' Y7 F> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
! ]. g/ G/ i6 q9 D8 M* L/ ~( M> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
: U) c+ g# ], s( p1 j6 j> 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?
>
6 I3 f9 G& {( L> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
5 L2 e) y$ k+ X1 {>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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' B9 [" t* y0 U& W> May your day, be a Shay Day.