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
  q7 S$ ~9 i0 E( e> same choice?
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  `, C9 ~  r0 F8 T& R> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
' e; ^5 y' P9 O5 E5 n4 Q7 w> 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
' p+ t0 E. V( ?# Z9 L" H> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
5 I5 N8 N8 d; k" T6 |> The audience was stilled by the query.
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: K* `  p8 c0 j2 @" R> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! n4 D% \! a1 N> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
3 @; O" v1 e% J( q2 }- W- X" z> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
> 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,
. h, q  x1 D3 j+ Z: `2 [! K( o> 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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> 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 N5 F% ]7 h4 Y. c, ]7 k4 x) |1 B> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! o; l) g( ]. P0 w! c> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
0 ~' X+ _+ K5 s2 T> 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
& Z$ I& @6 X% z1 B; ]" ^> 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
" F4 g- q; u# V& c% {, s> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
; o& v2 d+ s- p) D% s( u+ Z4 y> 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
) ~; p: a% x1 ^! r  P> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
: H- x5 |  I6 \: \4 y> 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.
7 t# I/ _: c% Q: E- u' d> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 P* V  p) W1 J; s& b& W2 v0 f1 Q5 @> 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
5 [9 w4 d" M0 e1 _2 A, ?# E> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
6 H6 [* L/ T4 Y% e0 P1 r> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
5 _% ^7 |: j: S9 |8 r> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
. d; a2 J8 g$ B1 z5 \4 S- S7 y> 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
- `; I6 H7 y, r- J$ u7 h6 J> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
7 O  a1 F% A$ Z: C> 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
* L) ?! x, [: P/ f> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
6 Z1 S6 V$ x$ L( R0 E2 R> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
3 S; q2 n$ Q. O> 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.
>
! K, X# m2 p' e/ ?* Q# X: o: M> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 c3 w* d! q8 a; E0 u* ^0 `> 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.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  s3 K  b3 o$ C8 D9 ^; ~( d# r/ Z2 ^> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: c( L# x  N) h! C1 @# q5 E> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
' |% p. f" ^/ o* O2 a" P$ P& ]1 g> 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
$ r) F& i* {5 t+ {. }> 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
# ~4 }% C9 J! I> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
5 y$ x! A* m; q5 H" v4 x> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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) N7 N6 K! l" |4 i: L2 [/ `/ K> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
& x* G3 ?# q4 d- Y> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
- [& x8 @7 |4 {2 u> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
- X! z# p7 ~- b+ \8 M% \8 v0 ~  j> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
9 O! Z; H4 ~( K1 k* s7 l) G; A> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
. `* i4 j6 ^5 Y, H) d> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.