Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% D3 j3 `2 e: ?5 V8 ?+ \, M( J> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
9 c: L+ D& m% W8 }; o> 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
0 }9 Z' Z$ L) H- e> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
+ p' X" _6 I% g9 U8 M8 F> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 b' k* W* K: O0 S+ q2 I6 N> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
+ Y  K' X- h+ D; e> natural order of things in my son?'
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5 W. j& Y7 j) u; L( ?4 i> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 W4 B/ }2 w% W0 ?) G> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ U4 R; u* @* |6 Q2 F- e& W> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
* d7 D, r. z: b8 f5 a/ U' _> 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
# u# p, X; Y2 G6 a  m> 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,
$ _2 x& M. G; p4 x- p" M7 ^> 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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> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
7 E# [$ `6 A1 F' B4 [% d; {- T% M" E> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
6 J6 n8 J% R+ a! q6 U; Y- X, c> 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
0 I. E% ~. g& D> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
/ G" l& \8 t; \" |$ O" _2 M> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
: o7 v: s- Q& Z5 ~+ u8 Z# x! D> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
/ i; B' c$ a, C' ?2 s: w- j/ [> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. [3 k7 l, L1 k$ }, i) i2 C> 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,
2 _  g9 C5 S: g+ r* x* q> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 Z$ u# t. `5 ^) d) P7 `> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
  U( g; n- R  ~& A, l, D> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
2 j! }" _; b9 l  p# i% z> 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
8 P. z" a$ m$ r  D+ s> 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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1 H# t5 A$ u8 D  s. j> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
4 E% Q3 q$ `6 ~5 c! a8 o> 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
, B+ g  R5 A$ u3 [) D/ r> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* S% ^* l% `0 N> 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
  Z4 o1 z9 n' R; T3 K* q1 |( i7 b> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
& D  }% \- C- o. I$ F> 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
  u6 K1 \$ L# c3 d( `2 w> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
! R9 R0 I) H/ |& g+ n! z& {- ?> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
. Z( d4 ?& @" ~' B) M> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
) X6 P3 L* v; D5 L9 Z( W* ]# V- [8 [> Shay, run to third!'
>
7 D4 t- l/ z: |3 ?0 C4 U> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
0 w7 @9 ~2 g+ b! ~> 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
> game for his team.
>
* d1 U/ _, e1 E4 O> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
2 E; M+ G% d* U; r> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
& B7 I6 t) `# a- I/ B2 Z9 y> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
$ ], q6 ~" A+ {4 W> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
" V- O4 a$ B# N. s( J> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
# B3 K: e% n6 m$ Q+ J; B5 ?> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 [7 z: o9 `- |+ s> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! H" h& Q3 u. S, c8 o/ S, n0 K( }$ b> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
2 ~1 A+ }/ ^# G> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
0 ~) {+ a) v) L+ Z1 R, {> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, z: @1 S% u0 u" D; j9 H( t1 [> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.