Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! P0 h1 g$ z) |- C5 |4 M> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
% t2 S. w- Y& S> 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
5 |. d' T0 Z; y+ T+ V> staff, he offered a question:
>
0 n7 H$ K/ ~+ V3 ~& A9 e) z> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 }; a& J$ H. @& R8 v> 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
7 N9 C$ G! ~8 H& B% w. a9 M> natural order of things in my son?'
>
5 s9 l! O, C( Z2 K4 o# P4 W  w' `> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
$ j: e0 e, [" M$ ]: s" u  C# l> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
4 L$ I0 r& c5 X* C>
0 X+ i! R0 k# h7 t) ^5 C7 j2 v> 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
& M1 k, Z5 x. ~' }7 c> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
2 E8 i+ k/ m3 G  `; T( R4 l& u> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
1 Z. X0 [. c+ b/ R3 Y. a> 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.
9 A; h+ ^1 [9 g5 s>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
: U% r7 u  P, m) d2 o& }> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
6 z% c5 Y6 K4 {0 a3 `2 G> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
% ?" J/ |/ j7 X, {3 H0 b> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
6 d6 X: ~- h2 x/ O- ]$ h7 j8 R> inning.'
>
0 w, y6 ]: v  e6 k2 E7 u> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
9 |" k  b' V6 I4 Y& E. t- u> 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
$ }. j# `1 t4 F: V: h> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
& l# Q* N' P, s' U> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
0 g+ ~. p, C7 n1 y, ^> 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
+ K3 F! c5 M1 J- J* t  y, p8 a' K$ f, H> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
* k6 Y6 \4 F! @; K! U> 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,
3 b: s6 e5 h5 q> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 s, o6 p9 @0 l& J0 _5 P- X> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
) u& c" W1 P2 J7 u4 J> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
( P9 o7 O$ `& i6 Q! n9 i" s> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
# \/ z0 v) [7 I9 e> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 Q# l9 e* \% R) a> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
$ n4 u" G; R6 _# Z) V7 e> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
  d) P2 X; c* C5 d3 E' J7 Z> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
& h' ^3 t: Q* E/ F; o5 _0 h3 s8 J> 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,
8 \. Z+ }9 G* T7 B- @; L- Y2 N$ v> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
+ v/ O/ p$ i" \4 W) x) n& `> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
7 h) L6 N/ I( H( g' W6 A7 W> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
1 ], p( p! S8 ~' R( D> 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
% U; S7 \) g( f5 G! u& Z> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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
- v7 h# T8 i! g# P( Q> 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
! g- `9 ^9 e" k* L# t! o> 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
% ?  @1 t9 f/ J' p) t0 P> game for his team.
>
3 X: ^! J0 g$ ^3 s! ]> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  I; e$ i- Y3 F( q8 i( T+ F$ N> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
2 u0 O# a: ^) `$ Y/ t- ^>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
0 ~! g! T) p5 P0 w$ E> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
. C0 m5 X6 K# X: j4 h% D' [> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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' l$ A$ S! E2 {2 g5 P> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
) @1 H7 X9 ^8 E  \. v5 E" o% X> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
. w- X0 a8 R  K9 N$ q# A> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
+ j- b% r+ x. z1 w" l> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 \, @. i- R% P! J> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
  @' S, U$ e% I8 C>
> 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
  a% ]7 m5 C1 K+ Y& J+ l/ ?> '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
2 U9 P: u: |' x' Q( I$ c> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
! E3 p; x2 a3 _5 x2 I> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 N% z& C% a! n: Q( o> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
7 r0 V0 E& g8 e* Q- m> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
; ]/ W9 A* S5 C> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- C+ a3 H0 x7 T% H! P& i> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
9 z" \4 C8 d/ o/ C; L2 \1 G> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.