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
; [9 e4 J; B# i. T( n& p' b# l> same choice?
( `* [) U! K% b2 ]- `>
% F2 I0 K  ?! F" 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
5 I8 C1 x( u- I- M; b$ T; i> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 R* o7 n1 E( w5 J0 \1 Z4 k> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
0 N2 }- V5 w5 Q1 V4 a>
1 ~4 ?- s" X8 K8 [' ]% v> The audience was stilled by the query.
; s5 `$ Q" e4 m, L' c" |/ U. m>
4 E  v4 C2 B+ m> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
) f+ g2 P7 n6 l6 m$ G> Then he told the following story:
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* A& L+ B9 q$ E3 k4 Y% H> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 {1 b5 ~, A; o6 Z$ ?9 @2 C' r0 `" C( T. L> 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
/ z( L' ^. n! q: O* @* @, q  u> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
+ m- ~( W8 `3 t2 l  |) ^& v> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
: J( K3 w0 A% w1 S> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
1 @' L4 V# _! V$ l5 n> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& P  K. {& }* I' b% y3 K0 Y' M> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
7 g* A; R2 A& J* C4 K> 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.'
>
+ t5 A/ C; [2 d: X8 m> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ r; l& J  X, f$ }> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
; h% p0 A+ D1 `5 G> 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
6 w) Q: @+ U! e0 n* Z& g+ H1 J> 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
: W8 H' s! w- f& D> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
' v2 @  N2 U! J/ c% G> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
9 a$ E2 A) }8 y9 t- t6 @8 m> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
) k! J; u8 B+ z> 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,
> 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
0 H& h7 W( I+ j6 V' H; u> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
' i+ N: F% i0 u- J> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
3 v, U- {8 Y- f' Z> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
. E4 k1 s% `. _6 v" H" B> right back to the pitcher.
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6 l5 K  }% K: t+ \) T+ r7 A> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 ~8 z/ M/ V. k' g, G2 T% f9 l4 A& E, `> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
6 q6 a' C( F: q3 v+ s+ e> out and that would have been the end of the game.
3 t2 _6 k2 }# n; [( |>
& I; ]9 Z0 r8 v" u1 Y; h1 J> 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
# w- f, v) q% C& 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
5 Y1 z/ A* b" Q% |> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* u" _) j7 ?+ a, m$ E> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
/ b# ^' N; J1 j1 v- P7 b8 Z> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
3 y4 i$ a  B9 M( D> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
" m2 x! N5 T5 b- }" l> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
$ ^. z! ^! o5 F; r) D9 \( [> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
% B/ I, G3 |, j> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
7 t. b$ q3 l' [& @> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
5 q! g5 ~& W0 V8 j, T; r> circled the bases toward home.
>
2 R; g6 t6 t" A4 I3 l' z> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
$ k* i) ~! M& y>
> 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!
5 {2 f/ o5 G: ]' A% }; A  f> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
. J' N& c/ W! n> 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
! S2 |2 c2 P$ i) \> game for his team.
( Q! P9 T3 r2 A# [>
7 E2 C+ g/ h* d' i> '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'.
& F0 ?6 L3 g$ c( g>
> 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
$ H& I4 E% C; Q' {# Z> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
, O( x. g" [5 }: n( b+ i>
> 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
; a7 h" t$ Y6 _8 h0 V( z1 C> 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.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; }3 G$ S% L5 G- B> 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
> 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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
# ]' |/ v6 k. N5 c> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
3 I% s  H4 T: t( Y+ l> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
; C6 [4 E4 Z% D: m9 [" m5 p  v>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ n+ {* }, a/ o( U> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
& A4 t3 ^$ F) w>
4 \4 e% q' E' ?8 A9 {> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.