Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 d( q/ R& p% L$ k% E! j& m7 i# _$ ~> 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
4 o. y8 {, w" H) J5 R) i> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
4 M4 h- d8 B, ]! P3 m> staff, he offered a question:
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> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
# z' @( P) K1 ?: @0 t7 a9 x* {> The audience was stilled by the query.
" R* X$ p# Q+ ?7 `6 i% t! h>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( R& V) [3 E. }7 K4 ]' h; _: ]7 T> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
( R3 i8 [0 w) S> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
8 t  P6 x; H, Q>
4 d  }5 }* L0 A9 c> 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
+ q; u  n+ v% ^% z6 b+ t> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
* m6 `% n% a0 K2 H% }* `3 ^> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
: l7 i% W: r$ C' c8 w> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
7 y! K$ U9 \1 U2 D# n1 Z& H5 u2 x> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! K5 D; F- T$ Z4 x: k> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
; s7 ^3 w! i; i> 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
+ R( M+ E3 {# B  I! N> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
. z  ~4 e# B) {3 |1 \> 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
> 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
  v/ B3 d9 `- h' \8 R' s2 E" V> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
1 l( E* z, N* t! x+ e# D" l> next at bat.
>
1 A- [/ n/ P) D> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
3 i' n& X" |( ?: v* I! h1 M; p( ^> 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.
, O8 }- h, I- q  e> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
6 j; F9 l- P' \> 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
' ~1 Z8 q+ G2 w) p: l3 B> 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
. Y5 O7 K8 J' Z/ |7 `! u3 s2 g0 s> right back to the pitcher.
>
8 f. z% p0 C7 R' q) J" v/ g! T> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
6 @" |3 O! q( A' {8 a>
% n# g$ ^; |# }; P7 f> 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
- N) ?2 E, Y( D) T> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
7 N+ i( W/ Z6 m  t" X% n9 G  W> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) y9 R" ?# t) s> 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
; ~3 W, R; g. ]' {/ \& w  [% J> 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
2 ?' b9 U! R- @  {4 l/ v> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
0 g, W8 P3 t( p2 _% Q6 y> circled the bases toward home.
>
, w: R, j0 W& t5 Y) R> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> 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!
4 M. ]: p3 ]" O9 P! |5 o: s> Shay, run to third!'
8 _! @5 a. o1 X) D>
6 \$ o- g/ V8 `> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, D0 j" }- R1 [% M> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
$ O  q& [5 E5 L6 P# [> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 Z& V! e4 Q, J> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
; ]) z. C0 q( c9 s3 B0 ~7 c> into this world'.
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1 o/ ?7 s0 `4 o6 E6 ]# o> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
9 j% |  h& l( C/ t6 x# W> 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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2 |9 ~0 `) _7 W: z, I3 @> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
6 [' i3 F9 T* g' {! M  i! G1 B> 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
, a. I: A' v) N' _  ~+ D8 K> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
5 _% j0 K, H$ m- x/ i> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
9 P# }2 X* ^7 u/ p, S> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
9 `. V6 H- e- T5 K> 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
( G8 X4 r2 U" v  m5 K> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
( q/ G7 Z% n& {) h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
9 g# T8 h' d$ |: B# N+ q1 ]1 m> You now have two choices:
2 g, @& a8 x1 u- y> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
  s, F8 b$ k( I' U$ }>
/ Y1 K( L" J2 @+ z  _> May your day, be a Shay Day.