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
3 s& f6 U3 n" v2 H> same choice?
>
> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
0 E/ ~. t: Y1 ^$ S: ^5 T# C> '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
& e. }, E% B$ m9 G1 e& p1 F# Q. u! B> natural order of things in my son?'
>
9 h" d5 [4 G( W1 G8 f& z1 A1 U> The audience was stilled by the query.
' \" o+ j9 m' t6 R: o! A! W>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
8 \0 W- y! V7 P) D& e> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 ^+ T8 [8 d$ \" L7 i, z( A' ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
, b( c; T- ~& i, f; U, h>
> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
, s. e- Q) Z, [/ K! w>
* [4 B; r: o, w8 i% p> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
3 j) u5 M# q4 x> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 P) F3 n  V& ^; P# I- _> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
" {; F# f) {% {) Z> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
/ Y) T6 S4 l2 Q  W5 W7 R& L" w> inning.'
. G% e/ ^* b* U3 B>
: w$ Q: m) D* X4 R> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. e- j  Q! m9 c> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
# N' x2 O% z$ c* G. K> 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
0 e2 y  |* M* {  |% m) |> 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
! s- K7 l6 m! I, O! s+ T> 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
2 E" d3 I# t7 x  p> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
' O& h+ u- x5 v> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
4 o: B& J  b1 d4 o0 L7 C! g> 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
" i, A0 h3 r7 R) ~> 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.
. S+ u5 W* @& J0 e5 g  G> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
8 \# N* ^0 F! P' \" x6 w> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
7 m/ q; ?6 s& [& O> 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
5 {' c3 \) |+ A8 M/ X% N. k: `! \2 _: w> 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,
% ]! W2 @3 _1 N9 d5 Y9 \> wide-eyed and startled.
! [0 h9 a& i/ ^1 G9 q>
9 f$ d* O. N6 B( Y' D1 G; K> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
) ^/ ?( x8 p2 s, Z: s1 e1 |& s> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
. q4 K; w$ \0 C- h3 A6 _* S> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
& [# D6 d' [7 F> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
1 c2 ^! i6 b! S; v> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
7 Q0 |7 B* Z; B+ a/ L>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
1 E  ?" \# @, I$ U>
7 u6 G" f: e) P" F+ a# t) Q> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
$ V9 o( R" X; s; r& o3 @  m' x> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
' t( {1 y' b; c8 e( |% J+ j3 _) _* [>
6 |/ {8 r$ x2 n* r% d> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 S: }' o  r) F( j: Q> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
- \% a, J% P0 H# N, _: r> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
# L, @1 e2 _1 a- ^: b> game for his team.
( q5 Q; [1 {* H/ N. _* Z- `>
6 j" _" B5 R! Q) X5 F/ Y0 n> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
; h5 ^. c: j. o/ R  _" t* S, e> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
4 ^4 P( r# P/ B- |1 t> into this world'.
# C, F1 g, J- u6 X; ~; [>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 q% L5 W$ X/ K# B6 x> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
) T0 W9 Y2 Q( f8 U0 Y> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
+ K, v: L- b+ `6 l+ G  ~- i. U>
- E. G+ h1 Y* M  L. \$ \, H* a3 D> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
& r2 E  E, ~* h> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
$ a0 m0 U6 m& n0 s+ 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
9 A4 c* n' v! k3 h! E> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
9 V' o5 D8 m0 x> 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
5 j2 B1 m' C5 P! `> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
7 K! W$ S9 V# {; N: s  {# t, U> bit colder in the process?
& @8 U% [- V( J5 z2 f>
& r2 @* R7 C5 j6 {( d' Z# s> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
4 ~. r; n# i- G9 p4 U8 w  k>
> You now have two choices:
* o  P  G* }' G> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.