Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' ~6 P8 s* s  y4 K7 z8 U% D6 u1 b> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> 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
" A# @% g$ o0 o) [8 n' b! G/ _> 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
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
" O7 c  M7 u/ c8 d) t" J> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
7 R+ }! j: M( m/ N, Q# \* O> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
" [" T% Y  h4 O, J. B/ P2 u! u> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 o( d+ R) c2 A> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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+ n7 `$ r- q+ c$ T2 ^* U> Then he told the following story:
>
& B+ U1 r  {; }* g; d, Z  T+ h1 Y> 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,
) n; V3 R, F3 a( D- X1 {- X+ [> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
! y$ H9 o  n  ?  ~  q> 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
4 m9 G0 Q1 G  H/ I> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
% G* y9 B* N( A% v% L4 Y$ S8 p/ K' V> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
7 U+ `  |/ a* V. h4 v5 u3 }) s/ Q' ~> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
* w) \6 H1 j2 o% b> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
* [: x0 `9 x% N2 W) p& u> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
> 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
- }3 O$ ~, G! k3 {: r> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
: z5 _5 \) ]9 H# \+ e$ a> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
9 x0 J/ {4 k8 R& d1 a> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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+ N% M! q5 f& P. J4 k> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
7 B% m6 G5 Z" l% ~" G/ p> 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,
8 T( J9 l' M  R% A. P; ^- d; n  q> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, K5 V: w! [( n% |  z: p% t> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
% U) `, x) e; }/ S; i7 w! E> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
$ O" I( }) H: I( b+ b4 |0 d. e> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
+ K6 t1 q! W/ ?7 o- S, E2 T) ~> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
) C. m2 W. Q0 ^9 B! o# ]> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
8 C# N& M' o/ \4 v! ~> right back to the pitcher.
>
; w; p- I/ k! x> 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
! @# o# `' w: W  U5 c> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
4 R; N9 }9 J1 Q  Y8 Y5 i2 t> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
0 Y* l7 X; W$ T7 k& S* ~" i; F> wide-eyed and startled.
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1 S  E% E7 x4 Q# x7 g> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
: P& `5 h# ]- M2 N" w> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; o- Z$ O3 n) T$ l+ w. H# T> 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,
; q% ?& ~0 q* a5 X+ 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.
>
6 m" n3 ~% C/ X4 U3 n: u> 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
) N2 M4 k9 p1 V$ U2 R3 \> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
- @1 w) q4 n# K$ g6 k> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 f. W8 R. V/ T7 T, `) W* x" z> 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.
>
0 [; N( G, O/ M% D. l* Z% Q> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
+ W0 T! m9 X7 y3 b( o/ \! J8 `> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
0 b& ]3 y. |* P9 S( I0 H> 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!
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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
> 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
1 ]  H! c0 o' L1 |3 E> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
+ T; m) X1 S8 Y8 i' ~> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
+ d/ ]) ]2 E: E$ H$ |$ \2 F> 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
) M  o' W7 j# b! u/ f0 B> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
; {8 n* s. \% [. v* s' {' \0 c, q  y# h6 X> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
: h( N6 I8 C# w1 ]> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
- E( [$ _. \5 h% c> bit colder in the process?
>
  ^0 x! p; j. V6 }2 G( z% s% P3 z> 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:
> 1. Delete
7 ?4 e9 ~( P6 N9 ], Y7 D> 2. Forward
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9 n5 D& }, D& ?8 f> May your day, be a Shay Day.