Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
- w% Y. K! X! g! z) Z5 `> 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
+ D5 r0 r0 f+ m* S# r> same choice?
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+ a4 [6 y$ J2 f8 A- d+ `, D1 M> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
* F! T& ?! T( L! K! @; Q' E> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
9 p' z1 V$ ~, r( s) L- V6 }) U  D; k> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
5 A+ p% o/ t7 ~+ H) r& h> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ [( K  [9 q1 W9 a; K: R" s: O9 g> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
/ M* ^4 G  U/ j8 ^7 ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
  V7 R% E+ q& u5 n) D> treat that child.'
: I- }2 w9 c" ]' H>
> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
9 j5 `* e& P3 H8 d( g2 e9 W# p; S> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
; J9 _) a4 S) ~" i4 {$ O- @% ~0 f' t0 x> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ E4 \9 p6 C  _! ~+ G> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
. I4 ^  g/ F  }2 B( R' u) D, U> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
' f8 J  B  l+ S2 I. W> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
6 V( t; Z+ Z7 z& I& L5 e> inning.'
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> 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
. w4 a. T+ i* B( V> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
/ U, ~) Z, ]8 ^; p% S6 x> 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
* @8 m& \2 L( _. p5 L7 _# `0 n6 ^> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
7 Y* g& [- k) m6 T> 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
0 ^/ e% ^% ^) R, I8 c> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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) y0 V  y' Q3 S5 f0 X+ O$ {> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 }( h* [3 }/ T; t6 a4 o> 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.
% w; K; i. b. P( B* G5 @> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
* R. B# P; S( t! O& B9 J3 A> 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
0 ^" d& T) X* m2 E( E) J! T> 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.
' b2 b1 k& O$ R' }* X) Y9 P> 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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5 ?) g+ C% [$ e. @" a) _. Y- i> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) I# m! o; r* w! F4 i4 G) a0 E3 _2 H> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
  h9 u8 P: j9 q6 A  P( }% H" Y! S! K# S> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
4 C8 U3 u. l7 T5 |; e4 Y> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
& B5 R/ c, f) O: k1 D7 ^  x7 K> 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
6 ~2 d# {/ D3 M0 W> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
! l! u9 s2 r/ N% {5 b5 Z- p: y> wide-eyed and startled.
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9 }3 `; f* Y  `4 V> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
5 J/ C6 e+ l* p3 p+ A; k> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
1 p/ F6 n% e$ j; |) 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
' a4 V0 Q1 B! v; ~7 C> 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
5 @1 v% Q+ f( D2 H, m9 I> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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$ @/ I4 W' }3 ]( P" W( ~> 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!'
>
> 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
> 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,
> '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
> 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!
>
> 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
1 y, W1 ]$ K: D+ k( i0 \> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> 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
> 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
> 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
# }1 K1 t, R% W, g; Z& |& t1 m1 o> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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" g' |! Z9 q! V& p  I/ i. @> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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9 ?8 P0 i; x0 H, v& o" d+ ^> You now have two choices:
# K# u0 N* a5 q> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.