Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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  V, ^* m- B, `+ o0 {) d8 U> 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?
>
> 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
* g7 i0 s9 I. Z' X> staff, he offered a question:
>
, @" @) d" D3 s> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
" |4 M3 o  G0 g, X& M> 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?'
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$ N( a: v. v6 S/ ^% I" V> The audience was stilled by the query.
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0 m* C! o% z, l( x> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 f0 i; b) U% @) O. _" x6 y> 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.'
>
# \. K9 m: C7 T5 B# Z> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
; o( n: f: z* Q+ U7 P! T> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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3 p) R. g6 Z4 }% a> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
$ ?, u/ s1 }+ J1 a& [2 O9 D/ @+ Y1 p> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
. l$ Y% y3 D7 O6 B' I% b> 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
, g1 `' b, U, |> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% X7 s+ I; _- o: U7 ]> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
5 g1 ]: p4 N* j- `1 c> 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
* h9 z7 e$ v4 w& }* F% d  B> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
" g1 q( F! M5 D; j> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
( J) k( k4 g6 ^8 f/ V$ S/ J4 b' |( P> 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
6 r5 Y0 X5 s- V! O+ }0 L> 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
. ]6 m3 k$ j: [3 p4 Y> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
+ d) W$ L$ D: h5 I) W1 _> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
; [" S% l- b% {& Z8 P> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
: X1 g9 [+ S, f; x" m  V$ h+ V> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
: g# R0 B$ e5 C. k% y> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
4 C0 n; H% O* g! L6 \3 I* u0 _> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
) Z1 K- v1 n' z9 o> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
8 }1 o- _* J1 E5 |> right back to the pitcher.
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+ z/ h2 D5 E1 }9 i. r> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
" G& K5 {& ^% M9 M: Y( y> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
; v. }5 @" r% e8 J( N* p; j9 k  B> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
: j! i+ x: R% w' N( B5 Z3 b> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
& [& n4 e' L5 W, h6 t> 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
* ]' i/ w% v+ v; L; ]/ h  p+ u$ I0 m> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
, q- m; l! e" b> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
# ]9 F; d0 V5 W7 d; z/ y* w> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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& e3 [! X( r, \4 k0 }> 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!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
* G+ V# Y- t2 o% h* [" @> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
' q9 n! n! _; g: w- w  j> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
3 A! ?( C# i5 @' `+ F, _8 B% \> '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
) n, C2 W3 M+ _% b0 X! a! @! \> into this world'.
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> 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
8 X; g: O4 r6 V" N+ F> 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
+ l8 k# g0 S! T9 ?: D> 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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& B( R" H: ~* R4 t2 ?> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
) f5 g/ P7 E' t# K& U$ {' H7 o> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
. m0 u7 s4 D9 D# P2 y: R6 C> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
" h1 P6 j- \6 T9 p+ Z) j> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
+ ]9 o0 s- ]6 \: B0 Z. X8 {: A> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
. Z2 b6 Y1 V0 z& A' u! G9 w> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
& y1 f# v% i2 O" 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?
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; S4 d# S& C$ i# j4 l> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
, s8 P0 z* Z' j9 t> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.