Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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* }+ |1 Z1 o' ^$ |, w' t" i> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
- d9 D8 ]8 W. c' |> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
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* G$ L2 q, g; j- ^  \> '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
7 F+ `; J( _' t' l, q1 r* s5 K> natural order of things in my son?'
>
/ s5 F! y) g- {) l3 d> The audience was stilled by the query.
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. L2 D" k1 p( g0 u$ B> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
8 j# k( h4 O" [2 E( o. i> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 d  h, t  N4 s; @2 b  |# `> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
) ?& S4 a& y# g> Then he told the following story:
>
  }( [9 r, A4 V) W. I> 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
$ K1 m0 E$ Q# n, O, J; P7 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,
4 X# B& M6 l" l4 j> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ R) @9 c, o: w0 ]> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
7 R: m$ L$ z- V( r" A> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
) ~. i0 O' d: V0 W$ t> 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
> inning.'
>
( b( M. j) }/ U! F. V/ T3 y> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! c7 _7 y" s' P8 H+ e> 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
1 o0 V/ B7 U1 O9 h> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
& C$ T! @% \1 U: g7 \> 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
! I9 o! u$ G. h# L5 g; N> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
+ u( F7 n5 [/ A/ L2 b> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
1 e2 X" A2 A8 j5 e- A% w( C) K1 C> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
5 T+ k, ?2 A! e2 K> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
  f4 |0 x: Q) t+ d, S8 p> next at bat.
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0 A" }0 r) y* s9 o9 g9 L> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! I- [$ b0 n) w$ y- H7 I> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
+ h' b. m! X/ ]! `7 n> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
1 r' E! s5 E7 |$ Y> 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
> 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
( c9 S8 V% i6 A/ `> 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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- O- \1 q7 d+ Z) a  N/ j, M8 X* L> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
$ n* J; Q6 P1 [* _> 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.
>
: m) k% a  e' r> 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
- P' Y: E( l" j  Q, m# O- N> 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,
2 |5 j! Z5 e8 j$ q. I8 L6 u> wide-eyed and startled.
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/ n" q! u5 M' R- t* `> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
' Z& i! f, R" f) v* {> 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
# y5 Y9 \  L/ [) _* z& M7 K> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
9 |" w% v. f  E! g: T; X> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
$ S% k1 \1 ?. y% o) ?7 T/ `; t> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
/ n5 y% Z. b/ V6 q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 [# H: E" |* G. F( \! _> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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. N" W. S7 c7 _/ G> 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!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
* G6 X! X; I  ^) k( d' X! {> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
1 J3 H# M# k7 j% L" m( R> 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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' k/ Z' k7 j0 C* g7 [> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
2 m) q1 n5 h# z8 V' R6 V5 v0 r> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
" c4 Z; Y' C0 y2 d' z8 i. u) P$ e5 Q> into this world'.
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* U& m- @* E: C( D( ]9 J, g; p> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
  w8 N+ d9 D3 Z- w3 {6 Z> 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
8 f  j) V% s0 Z) F: `0 I6 l5 `> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
# J( J5 g8 h1 [6 v> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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% z% m. Y, y8 x+ p+ [/ ?2 ^> 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
: f- M) h' L& x  [+ p; V> '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
" a1 v1 R) O5 G+ n( u& ]> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
0 R9 ]5 T3 O# S, e1 Y0 t> 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
  `& l7 L' |" V. D& f3 t; |> bit colder in the process?
>
+ g. S% o, ?4 r) E+ X. s> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; v9 }* r& f8 D* h! I/ C' w> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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7 H5 R+ X0 L; {* B  e  e8 J> You now have two choices:
8 _9 O: ]* Y% H2 z$ g; B> 1. Delete
7 |' t; S$ U& e: C) ]> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.