Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' O( m, Q$ n- L3 H" x> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( K3 C  z6 \3 o8 k5 P/ N/ q4 F3 C! a> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
2 m4 i! K" `+ O- T- q> 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
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
# Q# M4 D3 [# a& q> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
' o$ x- R1 D. B# J& m2 {; K3 `> natural order of things in my son?'
" H$ b$ z9 _: `8 f% k>
  K7 a* D, T9 ^9 e$ K> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
) i# n  o- w9 L# \> 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
4 _1 H# k! k! I  Z$ i- J+ n> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
4 M1 z6 ?$ [( J0 T! C# ~>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
  ~( U/ I/ k" \; ]8 X. @2 W- }> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
% v5 e- ~5 w3 O3 Y- S" g> 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
& I! L  {: z4 t8 ~3 {) |& f> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
, i: r  j4 p+ d5 U5 u3 I7 u> 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
* Y5 g: o! r- Q( v6 R/ M( p; @  P* D> 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
! s) b% v4 z1 ?+ N" y, w$ e> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> 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
> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
2 m5 G- O3 t# h0 a2 s0 k> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
6 W7 _7 |; m: `> 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.
9 ]6 T1 R. A( I& {' P) q>
6 }! q0 U; l; x% |> 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
5 G& ]1 \0 @/ o0 G/ z- W! S> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
' H) n/ n" P* N5 l> much less connect with the ball.
" {& o1 O  Y; d& t& N8 f1 y7 _> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: G# j9 u  ^9 d& s) {: c> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
5 z1 e8 H: ^( I. q% t9 v/ Q> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
3 [7 x1 {7 g& Z6 e/ T9 H9 r: P* j> 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
3 ?5 F' i$ w1 c' H> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
1 T3 X" _6 ?$ N, Q2 N> 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
3 a& I. ~! p6 B7 b$ K> 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,
1 ^' ^& M- o  X> wide-eyed and startled.
>
* K0 z% K3 s, c4 O> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, i. f; J8 W+ U9 D! X, C! m5 H> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
4 n$ V3 t* O/ |> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
: W5 \# `, z+ M* B/ w5 x> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
. }3 V! l3 S5 z0 _> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
1 s( D  t( U' q, Z2 E> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
1 b$ x- e/ w2 a" q2 D# C  h> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
5 {* i" f8 s3 W+ D# Z. y& T% W> circled the bases toward home.
>
/ p' C* n& T) J& ^5 _- Y  r> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
8 q  f2 i+ _2 V9 Q% U+ f( o+ q2 T>
> 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!'
! X; d0 x6 V& }5 U>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
  S! _  S) s8 n8 F( O> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
$ w7 A: i- T4 m8 C# k1 ~* [> '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
# {7 e) [$ y3 [) O2 i" z6 G> into this world'.
: b) F8 g" z% V" M5 h- Q1 d>
! E, V' f3 @$ x5 l9 W* c, W" X> 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
> 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
6 W$ i4 E! K1 ?7 Z8 v0 e5 K9 H> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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" R) z! O5 z( r  J1 b, @$ h4 Z! `> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
# l1 K3 s! R1 G; r! k3 N1 \- |* i> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
# Q% X, `1 O6 |& S/ e& D  F! N> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
) C7 H. u- k$ t- A> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! i% u1 s4 M2 {' E- E' p( y) Z> 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
" j3 X+ e4 e7 A7 E* b  z, i- j: T> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
! y5 W; h8 c  {1 k: M4 ^1 o+ B>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
* ?  H+ v) R7 _> May your day, be a Shay Day.