Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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?
>
) M$ `% g# A* v+ J2 x> 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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
9 I# f# P) U: x9 a> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
' V7 e' ?: I4 a) i5 S> natural order of things in my son?'
>
* d9 q" p/ L: _9 g( [% @% S( H2 b> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
4 H) u2 a% i3 @3 m& z> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
2 F2 X7 a2 D& d) ]& W4 c  ]> treat that child.'
>
* d4 F& A/ n  X; O6 e& M4 _# r( a> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
3 P4 q) @/ k& P. r; \8 q> 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
! K- {2 U( \: y( s0 F$ u> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
+ B8 f* ^; F) ^; L1 r' v; r4 d0 |> 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
! Z/ g8 e. a, w> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
5 q% N( x" a" Q% W) q7 ]> 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* [' y! N> 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
8 X/ l+ X) a; P* g6 u" j: a2 B) `> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
: H5 ?$ y. j2 S4 _- T> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
. _# |/ q# L% G' K2 ?> 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
- ?5 {$ E+ u& O> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
1 }1 @, a; C! Y9 }> much less connect with the ball.
: y, G# z7 ?& B0 ?# V3 B- a9 e> 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
> 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
4 a3 M3 @9 L2 o6 |" e+ [1 f> 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
, ]5 z$ _2 x; b& a' n8 L> right back to the pitcher.
>
% l4 g- y4 R% z! M6 @, I9 k* }> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& u. j! J7 o3 _. f+ R- @4 j> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
: ?' y- B6 l0 G1 E& ]9 U" ]% x7 {: J> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
2 p2 \2 y  u! P2 x  b4 }3 G) _> 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
8 a3 a/ `# S9 D% B( x2 ^; t> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- M* q/ v* d8 U4 |! s. M' R( T9 |> 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
: b0 ]( }  I/ b7 ?$ k! ]$ O  u. F/ t# [> 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,
) |- ~) t) }/ \. y( F> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
: e; d4 _. [5 q8 t! m4 ?> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
' w* u; a) u8 ?6 x7 t9 E3 w> circled the bases toward home.
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5 T8 u+ B2 ?3 A* l, `; A1 b% Q9 M> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
$ O! p1 ]7 z$ t% h1 i' s+ ]1 X> 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
- k% ?/ A& y: K2 g! g+ b. x$ w> 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
6 X- k. U( A' d/ z7 I> game for his team.
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- b2 c4 Q4 [1 |$ w  k> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
- m2 O. O* P( E> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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4 L4 Y! `8 B0 D  |$ p( P5 ]$ ~> 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
1 g* d, F2 J) {* m4 p" M> 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
, W% Q' T& f  }) k> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
* C7 U: `" @. b$ h3 A& t> 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
; p# z7 s5 ?: F- s7 A0 v> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
& _* e& ~' v6 F4 Z> bit colder in the process?
0 ]! P9 B2 Z: v  Y& [9 H>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* H6 ~/ i8 G) Q* I- T> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
6 y  X# a7 F- p5 C> You now have two choices:
4 M' x$ L+ ]0 I( j$ y  Q. O* k> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.