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
6 R* S( t4 \: g' K> 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
# d# I$ b! l3 L. H1 C> staff, he offered a question:
) c  z+ B9 s7 q2 r>
$ t. f8 G; }8 W1 t7 T> '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
( k7 F) V6 F7 C> natural order of things in my son?'
>
4 D" k& P# ?! h" h> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
( m4 C% Q1 f" z2 q, V5 ]& R> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
3 T! N  Q& h" ?& Y> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
7 U, K2 U  U( l3 I7 T>
+ b* U; `9 j1 P> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
* ]/ U: \6 u5 q: ]4 `> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
% \2 K/ \! s' p$ {8 J> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
4 C" t* _% _. L% q> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
. h5 Q! j' {% g6 x9 g" i* }> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 N! P4 r5 e3 u0 z6 Y> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
; k) q! g( D% c! l8 A> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
5 r: R# u8 _- ?& Y9 O> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
8 z2 v9 f( V- o& k8 b* c3 M5 e> inning.'
>
> 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
9 h2 J* _/ S' r3 ]> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
7 m# ?* x' T5 D/ g> 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
4 a/ x. u6 s  k- L0 [& W  x9 h  n2 u> 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
( Q$ l6 r# o/ K# m> 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
7 S" }* n8 B( F% i6 I> 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
; E+ P+ g5 `6 ?( n5 B/ n> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
( P1 _, r! W% I+ `/ w( e+ {+ o4 z: C> much less connect with the ball.
3 Z( ]! s: E) V$ T( i4 V) l/ D> 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
& q! ^( b& u0 l> 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
> 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
  n' L7 K; Q/ W4 ?1 N  V> right back to the pitcher.
>
5 Y. x" Z/ ~0 |. J+ A5 d* m0 T> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
, T. [9 p8 |2 o1 Y0 V- S( B>
> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
% c% G1 N0 k$ m! C) Z> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
6 X2 U$ j* ?8 r% C/ ?4 x>
> 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
% {, i5 v3 p; U) E; D* N> 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,
> 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.
5 D$ }8 R+ b: Z0 a3 j>
, f( ]3 D2 {( X7 K- b> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
* F$ J' O( ~) C( ^1 H; ]. j+ O> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
* i3 ?; m. A5 _1 M> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 `! v; K/ {# [1 }" J# p> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
/ B0 i" ?: @0 \+ n> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
5 u# l. l0 P& ]. [> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 s+ L2 p" y- o; K  [3 c/ q> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
% G% C. I* m. U* h0 T! |4 A1 T>
* n0 {3 B: P& V> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
" `) o0 @# @$ H7 v; s> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
8 J! A9 d( V/ J4 M+ r> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
6 N6 w, g5 ]7 i8 |& l> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
- L; g$ z) A5 P% A& z& r2 U8 ?> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
$ _" a- g  Y0 [, ]3 z4 G. M" d>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
" ?/ u! Z) ~4 b: q4 n/ [7 N> 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
- a7 [1 y! R. ?7 ?; U; b> 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
" v8 K8 y4 J4 m9 y# g1 u' u> 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
> bit colder in the process?
- F* @$ \8 z$ U$ S2 y# T! h. g>
8 _; x3 d1 c8 s6 m" }1 z. D> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" Y7 l+ F9 _5 ~, s$ T' q> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.