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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. `$ ~& x, n; Q, E> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
3 Q$ B5 L6 u+ A0 }) r# M9 u8 {& a> 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
4 L4 F8 o3 ]  I9 n* X$ j/ u> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! r/ [) r8 }; n2 R6 m. e; V' f5 q> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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' T( A$ y# s3 H; X> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
+ h  q9 ~2 Y' s" O) Q> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> 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.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
, L7 `; ?7 k: @1 i" z5 z> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> 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.
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& R/ D+ t; C3 m' Y7 Q& H> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
0 }7 @$ f/ X' s6 z" `3 X8 e> 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
  H2 J/ {# ?- ?& l> 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
> 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
+ o: o& H2 `1 G; Q8 {6 P> 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
4 M0 Q  S; f9 }* B* Q" Q> 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.
>
* R' u" d3 m6 M. Z7 d* [- ]) X1 e# D> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; |5 e9 L+ \8 z  f  _4 m> 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,
/ Z8 C3 ?+ _# I7 y. i> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
0 y8 z( s- b9 I+ G' s$ v> 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
$ a$ h$ R# Q8 ~6 p5 `( A9 T> right back to the pitcher.
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; u9 w4 x# Q8 K, e' v> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 F( d! b5 w" E! E> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
/ a3 G4 V( [9 U2 a! C> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
6 t$ l* B4 D  z: O: S* y  w1 B+ a> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
5 {- e& F, \/ r8 P+ w> 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 ~- s8 T( g6 x' ?. J( I5 }3 P> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
- H! Z3 V5 z$ Z! ~1 C) l7 F6 H6 |> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
! ~# y3 e( V9 i/ [+ J% |> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 d, C' f' w- Q8 j8 G  S0 D3 h> 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
: u/ `: P& A$ v9 ?1 N> 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
4 ~, S6 S: Z; t2 ^/ I> circled the bases toward home.
>
- R0 k4 |. Q; i4 o: |> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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8 S% |4 t; w/ t, Y7 K' X1 ?- F> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
# y$ Q$ Q- D7 v. \> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> 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
) q# R2 w/ F& n8 Z> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  D7 X7 i9 f* B7 l- ^0 k2 j& `> game for his team.
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% C+ C; n9 ^/ M: W> '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'.
>
> 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
- g" Q7 e! E' z; x2 q> 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
> 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
% e. o5 r7 I7 ~& M8 C> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
% l( p2 B/ O5 F" \3 G# U, @> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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- A# C9 o  @+ K" i; F> 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/ P1 ~  m4 `* l& [3 W, b" e> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
7 U1 y7 ^. N3 o. X, Y5 _5 {+ J> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
5 S4 q. k8 M6 e+ v- N+ F3 D4 E4 e> 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
* t& m  F2 R! g4 r> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
, W2 [# x# F# w8 E5 R% ^; ^$ O> bit colder in the process?
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$ v" ?% w) d) x2 `, U1 d> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- p( H. p, L( E# L7 x( ^> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.