Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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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: f2 m) l5 \. }* x' u> 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
4 C# V  t" i! x5 l0 d3 ~# N0 D> staff, he offered a question:
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. v  J  l8 m: W- T, H> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
/ |4 f2 t! z( b7 k  s> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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+ H; G' a, z4 B1 ]# m> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
5 y, m; X7 f5 t8 P, o> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
( m0 |+ s# V- L> 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:
>
; e. M9 ^4 @* Q! f" ~. Z> 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
: G* N  P: R! A3 O5 D- s5 G  R2 I: D+ v> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
0 M* V. \6 H$ S' M> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
# m6 Z, @% L" j> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
. V1 |/ d" C( L" M3 z/ c" \& F. `: A> 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
* q8 T; D. i1 c4 l; o> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
' q! _4 S+ |! Y, E7 z$ y# k( q> 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.'
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" B) B# k9 ?6 a: U; O& X> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
, c, {" |; D* t; z6 x- [> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
1 f: v1 a! Y8 j. Y! Z) q, f> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
% B9 l: f6 ?7 m  T5 z> 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
( S# @0 H! t6 F> 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
  q0 u- q3 j1 v" ~* I+ r6 ~2 W> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
5 v& _% E; R/ }> next at bat.
>
. g! N' W, L) Z9 p> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
0 l) v  M, G5 h+ m8 p> 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
1 `4 R2 T6 a: I> 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
& E. I% Q/ G% R4 C> 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.
4 H9 G: h" b& X! s: A> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
9 p$ a' d0 u  Y> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
+ ^2 v2 n: T& T  M> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
5 D; N5 n% J0 m) r$ u3 \> 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
# m* o; [9 S, p. y3 ?> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
$ g. z" a. ?8 x( J5 l+ g> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
! {1 ~7 x) j5 c3 _) R$ z6 V5 ^9 h> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
1 y) e' ^$ @6 z2 R6 {5 G4 Z9 _> wide-eyed and startled.
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: m2 a; d: T  U" H5 P# L+ K> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
# C1 J4 P0 w0 N% b0 ^. x4 q1 o> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
& U+ X$ z* e6 [> 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
# c) ^0 _" x1 s& P" M3 ]( w; _> 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,
* M7 l- P6 o% z" w6 R> 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
" {7 M: g. x7 u> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
) n  V5 R% k1 j3 \) e> 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
3 x- ~) ]2 S: `5 f, k/ Q  D9 ^> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
2 w0 l, k) n0 W* T8 b, ^7 Y0 s& V* {> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
: |1 K: [$ z" X" ~( i> into this world'.
>
  }! @0 f. c7 e6 N> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
: n& `! ~3 m+ }# O( ~' F; O> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 ?1 A: `/ A6 f. g9 @$ \) c> 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
  {- G4 W/ W$ X  c8 C> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
- Q7 b; A  \" l> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
4 O" I/ \. t  j7 }- u$ m# h> 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
1 o  U5 G! B/ }7 j2 G* D3 h> 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
/ B; f' S2 Q) u; u> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
8 f9 P$ }/ D7 {0 a- _- Z4 }5 p( Z0 O+ _0 O> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
4 }/ f& C* V" |$ I$ C1 z> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.