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
> same choice?
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4 m! k, H8 o+ @1 Y> 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
6 X- v9 ~! p$ c> staff, he offered a question:
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  W; L- I/ K# o, K8 J. J8 j/ [> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
( k- S0 F& o) H9 G> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
( M& n0 Q/ E( S> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
, Q2 d1 Z" {1 i* R: ?" q5 N3 h2 {1 }> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
/ ~' f1 D6 [- N/ d( H> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
7 e% z: s$ }" t, u1 ?> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
% X) x- Z- @  i6 d0 W* A6 g4 T> treat that child.'
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> 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
# S& |( @" x; H> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
  t1 E( W2 q5 A8 ?> 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,
3 r# _0 h" z" {/ @7 z% @, O' N> 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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: c  d' K5 p  g* R' k> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 D2 e: K5 w4 y- g> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
> 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
# O/ p; z* e  n! K& E> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 ?% u! R& w# z! E' G& I; h2 Q! N- D> 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
; G7 V5 k% O. A> 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
/ K, o+ m8 u; B& x  a0 ^0 M+ g> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
5 |" m( d. t8 I% W  Q5 B% l, v> 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
2 x5 W/ s2 [/ C6 P3 j5 ]3 [! z> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% q, l" e9 ^; n( i> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
. F9 O% c6 A" Q9 ~> 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,
# B. F9 z" P  m6 Q> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
+ t* x8 e1 n7 B6 C! w' 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
. h( B' j' I  w7 W> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
- ^' f! H5 t6 t9 ?* `# E, k1 @> 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
> 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,
; A  W7 g& E8 Z4 |9 J9 E8 ]2 d- |> wide-eyed and startled.
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7 Z! D5 x: c% J- 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
1 t0 S: A! ?( o9 N: J> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
! J6 N, m% l9 D- ?+ Z- E* Y2 p> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
3 n3 K" T6 ^: D  s> 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
0 a3 J2 L3 l. j( U# L9 w> circled the bases toward home.
1 [$ u0 w: i) b0 I' Z>
+ b" g9 j# [# O$ c; e> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
: b- f7 i& a% d3 P> 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!
$ P) G' F( J+ P  |8 b, A> Shay, run to third!'
>
, [9 S0 c9 k7 M7 U  u> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# B9 S& \& [% O& U$ w> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
$ x2 l* z0 a3 t  D1 `> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  k* h* `) C* l9 n! N* B' Z: ^> game for his team.
>
6 i+ u  p) [" w6 M- ~1 y2 U> '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
> into this world'.
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3 \+ l' H( h4 E/ F1 ]2 J> 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
' F$ `3 N7 Y; Q. _; }% U> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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7 L3 _, v( B0 ]3 k6 X3 Q' N6 F> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
0 w6 [# {/ F( ^* k. ]: @4 R> 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
* w5 Q. v) L  ?% h$ }> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
4 z( @! {6 @* @% X> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
  t+ r, e% F) e2 x& {> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
/ m3 e! t2 Z, ~1 |> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
0 y( k! D) G2 h( A1 [0 M5 H8 E/ P> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
& Z: z9 x. C; _> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
7 V6 T% F/ ]; q8 Z> 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
- |, r: N0 ~5 R# O. T> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
- `6 J: `6 a. j5 P% z9 Z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
( l( Y3 x6 _# g$ F$ ~> You now have two choices:
) z7 m" g5 R- c$ W/ s3 {> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.