Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
. i0 |# ~" [( F* F! |5 h6 V8 ~> same choice?
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, Y( X, k3 I  v3 o; v+ d: j> 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 ~6 M9 o' z0 j9 f> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
7 V  {0 \) E  }. {( L0 G& T> staff, he offered a question:
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1 m) `& K9 m" k1 q6 r  \2 [' @> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 ]. _) n' V' c> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
4 ~* J& _( x& {% q3 f" P> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
3 I9 Y$ v( Q* W! N0 S> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
1 G& @" a, ]" e1 {% V4 Z> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
1 a8 B. z: u9 F/ X2 W8 |5 {; s> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
) J) g" \, f9 R8 w> 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,
# T" q/ i6 }1 g; ^& `> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
" M1 U* h1 s4 o8 f1 }( k> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
  [; ]! H! n$ o6 a. ^. R7 u* l) |> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 @, F& W( z9 j- r) ~* J> 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
8 z/ A4 e- f8 }4 Q$ W> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
* i* T' c5 x; X+ k* I9 u& M> inning.'
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3 H* W6 M- M7 M/ k> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- L+ t% w+ c7 o' u* Q> 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
" p1 n" X3 w* h0 J1 r8 t2 p, [0 G> 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
, M& [7 G9 j. w" P> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
) e* Q  x% t4 T* d& e( v" _" u> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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* o# |* H3 r* l" b! a: ~, z> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
5 Q& E0 N  |% Y7 t3 c# f> 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.
> 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
> 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
% H0 N$ a8 h- G; f, o> right back to the pitcher.
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2 s- n) }- y/ v9 t1 @/ x> 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
# b. ]! _5 G! A/ i> 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
. O2 }: \& W3 \5 J5 B& i# C> 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
> 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
1 v0 u5 K( A& D* g> 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
3 g1 U% r* ?* M> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
+ k3 j# H, q0 d* G" D4 ]$ v1 k) G1 B> 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
! D6 i3 A2 z5 e' q  k* Z> circled the bases toward home.
>
5 P5 I+ e4 h3 G5 y> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
  B+ E; t' H2 q" y: V; ~+ m4 _> 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
* v8 a; ]; E8 S. _> game for his team.
>
- E& y# n5 N+ @8 |" s* u+ n  y0 l> '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
> into this world'.
>
> 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
% X. V: N. c6 W+ h% }4 P0 ?/ @$ C> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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0 N. {/ x% N2 K. M. e" W> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
2 x! j" e! Q4 N- Q# s5 P> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
2 o2 a$ ]! |, A) p0 R! \> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
1 c; A+ G) M" h  R5 k' V: u# B$ i> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
* l" q* i5 k9 L! W5 f> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
( M% F. o. ?( u+ o2 @. A: _1 Y> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
. u( C5 w" g3 P6 t5 \* s> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
9 C, J0 o5 z: c> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
# a2 n5 }- A, n$ P, k% y% k+ H> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
) K- c  }$ q* z> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
" x2 W& ~1 s7 n3 {  i* b> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' l2 z: N$ G4 w0 \; o2 y5 r7 r2 q# J> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
. E- G: F5 s/ }1 m- F# G6 e> 1. Delete
1 K7 k% j1 R- P. H! x$ o  J9 m> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.