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
! H2 Q- o, ~, e> same choice?
>
# z  F0 B# J' E+ T& u2 T> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( r' C  i* }, a> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
% T$ {! T+ w  k$ {+ o' }; \2 \> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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9 I$ d  Y( o+ H( j  Q! b> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! n- `) J) _3 y! u% m6 r( V> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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3 P  |# E" t& t, a1 H> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# \* B$ K  G5 e4 `% I8 h> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 u7 }. ~% H9 w7 p, Y> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
0 k% Y. B. P) D> Then he told the following story:
>
, K0 I0 D% |1 l9 I5 w> 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
4 `3 X8 H% @9 s9 y9 w. U> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
5 {, {& w1 i& l( z6 F> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
, x4 k7 I2 T* h% p5 p0 I> 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
1 a$ l6 J- f3 t/ ?/ C> 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
" h& q) K0 J9 ^0 O1 y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
+ w1 `, e* l  L" K6 l> 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
. Q5 E0 I. E: E> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
+ Y+ P& i8 ?- F, v' j; |$ e> 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 F( G) `) I) ^" P; u. L> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
7 L# ^- ^2 d: C6 `8 n, b5 s> 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
8 h% C' B+ V' ]> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
+ U0 v1 M8 F! s0 w! w+ Z> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
  Y; e7 W! ]/ a* |7 k> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; o2 X/ G( {6 \9 Q> 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.
: K* u; f( L- t) {& u4 z7 V> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
, G! x" |0 v( V1 a  h" Q> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
: j4 i1 U. A# j/ S* v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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9 s6 z6 W3 K! f' S6 e# d4 `> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
2 j* b, a9 o$ a- ^/ c> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
5 E6 P- O+ e' C> 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,
! ^# \5 G- I7 ]) t8 f> wide-eyed and startled.
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& `# b) b) d5 L  n5 ~> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
+ c: u/ O! \. t( c# J9 n( ]> 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
$ O$ E; F8 K  p1 d, A* F( f> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
* {: z2 H: ^2 S* _* y& R( A> 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,
> 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
2 I, F1 t3 `. u# W> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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3 H/ H% V% d. ]0 [: |8 d9 S/ Q" E; f> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- W% [- b  U# z  G> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
; _$ u& W) B7 b* r- j/ H+ |> Shay, run to third!'
>
- Y- d  U7 z! z3 Y' w  N> 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
6 U2 i9 r  p  \> 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,
3 `( r+ n0 Q# ]; J1 u5 \> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
! t- m, x9 O9 y( x' P7 M" y> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) `* Z" `8 |7 h& {5 H; f> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
& E" e1 i* i# d> 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
0 [9 z6 \3 ?0 K/ M& f6 }$ ]> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
0 `: ?" o+ p" b  u> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
6 M" e+ Q! @) \/ q" d4 M) s4 [> 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
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
& T; l! t5 k9 U9 g> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
$ G; n6 p/ D* J/ l! T: Q3 N> 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
* w0 c2 a9 x( @) B) |# Y9 U4 K8 J> 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
( W* Z1 h# @! O> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
- I' P1 v' r; W4 B/ Q> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
4 H7 s. g+ r5 D/ x> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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& s- Y4 t3 r2 i8 t6 A> You now have two choices:
4 ?0 A$ y4 A% D> 1. Delete
0 b% e) I. U7 S% Q( K> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.