Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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$ z) \& r1 g3 K) q" H4 a* p+ k> 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
> same choice?
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> 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
/ j; r. ^% ?% |! I. Q+ S> staff, he offered a question:
>
- `" i, V4 @/ u# g% ]+ Q> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
5 C. U$ b3 H+ G* L! g$ \> 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?'
>
1 ]" j- R% o( _( a7 S% u/ V> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
: o7 t6 u( x) `4 c* W# ]' D- I> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ L* v, @% [/ p0 x) x8 a# G1 ^5 O+ A> 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.'
>
  C, K3 ^! J8 O7 Y' V> Then he told the following story:
>
/ `1 J3 r( V( E; ?/ L/ `> 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
! |" s  ]0 q% {1 u1 N> 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
> 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
( w; K9 ^; X8 x7 q4 K9 R> 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
2 k: n% t9 y* d% E* m> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
9 P& y! S! s  _( B1 `6 l6 ?3 d& b, h7 q> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
1 [. J9 J7 a) [# q  s. ~> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
; \* e5 ?# v/ ^- Q" n8 r> 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
" o/ y# f: \8 o3 _2 A> 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
; x0 M# }& ]5 X  |1 b( @: |; l> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
4 l- ?0 u) [  g# U9 w> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% u+ N3 F' z/ G1 r1 f% W2 \0 `# U> 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
6 ?, S! ~5 K% j+ o3 }  ?> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
+ J+ G3 u, _: R> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
% D; c: H. \% k/ T, ^1 h: b& r9 K* Q4 |> 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
/ w" S/ P% z0 G. A3 g2 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.
0 U* F6 B* }) r, u4 v" \) A) \' E> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
& C+ p$ W% e% U> 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
) T1 G  ?. O- h$ j6 P! v4 s6 A! n$ R> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
% e2 i1 R& R" ~, o$ Q1 O- l3 ~> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( o! l+ v/ n# v8 ~> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
* x6 B, V  }$ Y. w1 m5 M& F  p> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
7 Z" @4 a" ^( G> wide-eyed and startled.
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& v8 D; e3 S: r# U  y5 m4 z> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
" L5 p0 `0 e% n' n> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
1 N1 E$ v5 }# o* o0 c7 \> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
' {' S; N% G, g8 ]> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
, o' z' i1 D! q> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( j6 D! A0 R4 c, j% U" \% ?> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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9 r( V; V; v$ S% U/ ?1 M, T> 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
2 `3 c8 ?( X- E/ Z> 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,
& m4 Q) `! N  M: [4 {. K% U> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
- {" _0 v( e. J% a# V> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
$ B* R# M7 c, x5 @% A> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
9 @, b, _% i" G" T& @8 {> 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
) |0 p# s$ Y7 I. p> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
! t& z& `) g# A- B9 k> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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5 @" X: w& F' Y- v, j4 g& w> 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
0 T' K1 H  W6 f* r* D  n/ s> '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
! u, |& r6 H+ m> 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
! X* T6 I/ @2 g/ y5 q> bit colder in the process?
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5 x4 d9 I8 U6 l( R$ D7 i1 G% L5 I> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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9 G: i+ U# z6 h% A, s* j> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
% E% \$ }& z8 R: p, B* ~! j% {* j& s> 2. Forward
>
$ `2 S' Z9 T7 {4 |8 P0 c, G- r( G> May your day, be a Shay Day.