Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% y. U9 Z4 K2 e0 k> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
, E$ G" h/ c4 [, P5 c> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
& ^$ s$ X: K2 K# [> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
& d' ]- O7 }) l: {" T, s> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
9 O$ I; G0 j9 Q+ z( y$ a. D' `> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
: ^' H7 p  c, V+ M; `+ L> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. W+ ~2 r- s7 b+ ?* X7 t9 `> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
8 s+ f  ~# _$ j( G> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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0 g; ~# e' j& b: `9 g' Q* o- e> 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
) C5 O9 [$ Y5 r2 x. z9 d  H> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
4 q# Q  c( s* A> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
; d0 s! }! a5 d) b0 F> inning.'
>
) @3 z  w. J% @- ?2 {8 O* `" _> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
+ a5 M! R% r- e, f1 x" j+ q> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
1 a1 M8 B  T$ ^4 I3 D> 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
4 s4 o1 X8 ]7 f/ z3 ]& }, c> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
( w) H4 v0 @0 z9 T1 w> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
) T0 w# L& K0 q  v% U" |4 D> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
, B7 d6 t0 C- F7 A/ x# B& Y( U> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
% L; S) O% E/ L% |& {> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
+ d4 p8 c2 f" |2 V4 }  @) O8 p> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
9 g" U) S/ k; M  B% _, C> 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
4 O5 A2 j( z9 h8 v0 Q/ J> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
, p' J3 n; O$ F% Q> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* }& C: F6 T" t  I( e, A" @! @& y6 g> 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,
. t) {+ P7 E1 B2 E* q; }, X> wide-eyed and startled.
>
1 g6 H, P/ T, l$ i, @4 |( H. b> 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
# ]4 U) W( _# I. W> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
; x& x5 w3 A& c1 @> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
# L, D8 m6 l0 I5 _6 d> 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
; F! a% l, Y4 ]4 R> circled the bases toward home.
7 s- N0 k- ]+ W! r' x>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
3 q6 v. g$ I1 I3 |6 s: q> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
- ?  z4 X8 v% K. I% {5 f> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
0 Z3 F$ d  U, ]" x; A4 M3 N> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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" _, e6 ~' X; M) l> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 x( |! m& B. t+ f& g3 l> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
3 B) T7 a  ^5 }( z7 Y3 o> into this world'.
" `& r: {; s9 w  [4 }>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 Q( I( ^; x1 w3 N, q3 {* t> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
7 [0 D! y( P" _7 B8 ?2 K> 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
2 ~8 d8 h- o" Q- l> 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
; Z7 N' a% l! ?+ _' @2 x. ?> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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( g; a1 G' a; s2 @$ o> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 @! ^  ]+ m+ a" _6 f: q1 A' R> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
  t' p8 p4 V. t7 d> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
# v6 F' f7 ?9 [) _; s6 V2 ?> 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
0 f& q; b' Q! \! }> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
. T$ O4 H8 o8 I/ z( I  g2 R) G> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 Z5 _' J, k6 b, N' l5 r> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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7 D2 W5 X: U( t% b$ k( i> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
$ l. o  V. o  j+ i& W; G" l; y" B> 2. Forward
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* E  N- l$ N6 E0 Q# ^> May your day, be a Shay Day.