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
& [4 }* y2 y1 ^1 y> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
6 ?1 i7 z: a" v  Q+ I> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
- W- h" R* j" N> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' o( m& @8 ~; N( _+ j& M& M% l9 q> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 P, e' \7 t5 U% x3 Q# ]2 \> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
& `; I$ s( c* w9 w( s. p( }& |>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 U0 Q6 B" r# k: B8 W> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
3 T$ X6 F" d# h" Y( [> 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
6 \% T5 a% P0 }* [; R" g% q> 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
0 \! h+ ~. O/ N3 I! e: L5 X> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& L  n. f* X- d> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
( `0 B3 {5 n: R% W. q> 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
- a, p& p5 X1 H% @> inning.'
% `% R4 S0 g) a8 U7 W>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
" n$ X8 e5 l# `; ~+ t2 X" |> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
8 Z  u1 j) O* }> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
( J8 s% }3 c' r$ \> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
$ e- j( O# J, N: A' U> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
0 G( C, v. C  \# x, M> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
$ d& B# K3 k4 E2 ]" R2 R# i> 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.
+ D) N  R, v  |>
> 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
& q) M0 P& p1 h0 r6 a3 z1 i$ M' I> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
  T+ U# k3 w6 t> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
. o! X- p# ]5 q  k> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
* c& w  |  B. p5 \7 W3 ?1 n; r> 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.
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: s, h9 |: |" \> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* Z  G, _% q! U2 N1 ?> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
  ~" @  s- @$ B; N& o$ z7 c3 i> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
- `! L, V- o" L) W* h> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
" ~5 E1 R9 T3 J0 R+ f> wide-eyed and startled.
>
( ^; Y% H) F9 {7 y3 z> 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
> 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,
- B& Y( ~7 W" A0 q( \> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
. H! f$ w% }7 Q/ D> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
' `" C- N$ V$ D( T5 R$ s* I7 K# ]> 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!'
1 W1 F. s8 F" r! [>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 ^# x6 B( h/ k) K9 l$ H> 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
, [/ w8 b1 ^8 _- W6 u> game for his team.
>
4 ?7 u/ Z1 r# p* J3 o> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
3 f7 }5 R: ^9 _, l7 x> into this world'.
>
; C" L- f4 L' }% k" [> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
1 a0 C- A% j3 \7 c% E+ c6 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
4 P' v4 g: U& {' m( p> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
: s  s1 O  E  A6 H> 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.
>
' u# a  r2 h; V7 r> 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
0 u1 h4 r  e5 L  j: r> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' ^: J. _* }8 h/ \: p7 `> 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
  L. @7 A" i- H4 ^; ~+ `> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! I! J' O# c# t0 t, S2 G# R> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
: `8 p% E4 e. Z6 u/ L, @4 S2 ?0 c> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
$ z2 V2 {$ d  u> bit colder in the process?
>
1 d1 b# `$ e5 T, K+ k> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
1 x8 u0 v% q& ~- w& {5 g5 ?# H> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.