Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 @. Q! d5 i3 J> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
$ i. D5 S1 s% a- x> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 p9 \  e5 ~3 ?& _1 Y% z5 o> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
! X- n3 H* N; u, @' R4 \/ t> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
$ S% M8 h7 E* \& [# _! W/ h> staff, he offered a question:
! v  t& d& H% O2 F4 B9 |>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
( y/ a( _: x# t* ^, n> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
& u/ r& E) S) x5 \1 H& i> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
+ j& S4 U/ [$ r1 q) K' h: i" ^> natural order of things in my son?'
1 {' [% ?, N: P$ o2 A>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
, W6 y7 f  V& m* s+ B>
5 k; _  J  N! T$ h> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 B9 C( T2 h' t) Q" }4 ]) m8 L! R> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
' K# W, a  v0 s' t2 e> treat that child.'
>
. b. I# I7 t( y  E" R# |- \. X6 D> Then he told the following story:
>
4 y( s* J8 Y/ v: j, U9 Q7 [, C; A7 P> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
) t/ _! t' S$ a5 c$ o) C- f: N> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
9 d% ^8 @' |& E3 f1 f" V* ?> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
! _9 t7 r! l, N$ |> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
! p2 a  k! a0 ]( L>
> 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
1 S3 {% ]8 [, K9 j> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
& {( G9 N: V& A5 J; a- Z1 q> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% }( H% z$ W. ?* l7 `> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
9 r+ G- }+ n* K6 v! d( e7 R> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 y( n$ S& @3 V# r5 l: M7 w7 l1 ^/ X> 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
> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
6 h- K( v, e$ J. s6 X2 h0 j! D5 G> next at bat.
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9 G2 v7 C! D8 L7 T/ N> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
& S1 n( ?( r' ~" v2 w> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
! t3 l9 i$ v* ^- g* T> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 D5 X- o' u( @9 I# v) m/ C> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, j/ Q: e: @& p- b. {! U, X" q> 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
; i5 }8 G% P  m4 M> 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
* e6 }4 R, x8 W  t5 K' r' X> 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
> 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
9 E- r8 [# c8 u! V$ Z> 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
4 r) ?7 m9 O9 b2 G0 I9 r  C/ t> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
, u! s: h4 p0 [) U9 ~; [> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
9 t# a5 A' V" }$ \" j1 k. \> 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
> 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,
" D/ I" z; s  C! P  Z/ t4 n> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
4 g* D6 h* J6 v' F% V; Z; U> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
) l4 O3 X* W; n! f> circled the bases toward home.
>
5 {" M+ x% f% g2 ?) l; ^> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
6 X; ?$ f1 i$ ~> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
1 P, t( v( |& _> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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" m/ H) o6 i$ S+ D2 o7 Q. r# O+ E> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 Y7 j+ s5 l+ q3 H. O. _+ t& s& ~> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
5 f$ i7 k. o* F3 a1 {> into this world'.
4 [" Z" S* a; Y- H& D>
' M! |$ {+ d! ]! U9 V; s. ]0 A3 X+ 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
+ X7 p, g( b% x4 S> 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
> 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
3 \+ i! e0 i' b4 |' p, R# U0 G& J> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
/ v* d' w& y  I2 S> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
8 \1 S' d& J2 k2 q> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; [7 n, C# B5 f/ o. V3 W* ^> '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
) j( x0 F% k9 \; p6 m# c6 L> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
; T) ~% q9 j4 N  o0 Q> 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
  E0 r( W) A3 l# y, b( l& l( c> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
4 ]6 v& I1 M; J, ~6 I3 ?>
( _0 b  i" ~# v1 D. {' G" [> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
+ R" `" \1 p6 L" {# ?! t, M( Y7 H8 U# ~> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.