Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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- M5 s, n' y3 S/ ?' T% ~' _> 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
0 v: L9 O8 }/ b3 v5 Y> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
& ?2 i$ U, }/ J# V+ L> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
: L% Q: `* {7 f) c, b+ d' D2 O> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
  R& S% E. E" u2 `> natural order of things in my son?'
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8 ~5 j' A: y6 w( J> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 z  @( G. L9 I0 U& V> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 o" w. P1 ~0 u7 g> 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:
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8 x6 T1 S% N5 m' y; d! S5 q> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
* E; N7 M: G: s& u; f0 ]> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
$ ]8 [$ r/ m7 @) ]1 z4 g> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
- q. ]9 G1 c0 m, q$ ?> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
/ O/ A& G) u0 `" s1 n; l+ }> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
* b7 U6 b% T  h' f$ Y5 p> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
0 n1 l7 P# z9 d* e$ i0 ^4 o  {> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
: H$ Z/ \* Z* W! E/ k5 _> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
0 [9 l. ]$ _, i7 E> inning.'
>
  W( |) G4 i6 F3 u2 q> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. L- \& p( ]% F5 ?> 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
. {2 a) u- u% M7 [2 f> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
; n/ i. a& O. B> 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
3 r/ |' X) w6 ?* F8 q' d* X> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
* g+ M! M3 S7 O> 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
3 v4 N  r( ]0 j  s> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
3 e+ A2 E5 T. L& m% R> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
; z! ~% u, D! z- P- P! ^* I, n> 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
# q- F( u2 u$ S% S6 Q> 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
/ k3 b6 A; L6 |6 S7 J, A$ j> right back to the pitcher.
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; d" b- Z! _! E$ H9 F# y* ]> 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
0 Q) n, m! g) H> 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
' q$ d2 _$ D1 W8 y" j) ]! b6 m! [> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
" z- p% ?+ S& T! F  ?> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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& q( s) s$ |7 H( Z: C> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 K2 L2 t$ Y# [9 p: a> 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
+ K& S# L8 v8 o. T> 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,
' W1 [' M2 F/ t* i, O; S- E> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
  [3 R% R; t) N( c) k% E/ O> 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'
>
  Y" h. ]5 Z1 G# I> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
' s. f( z8 ~/ ~7 N8 f$ ^) _> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
* ~& E( ^& w$ X! I0 F: s> 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
$ a9 U( T3 F+ T! C9 V( Q) r6 P> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  j7 P6 E6 e! f6 A5 g5 _- p> game for his team.
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> '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
- J7 Z5 U; |) u> into this world'.
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- x5 P4 x6 c, g, M* Q+ |( W> 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!
>
) [) K5 x+ ^* T9 O" O5 _6 ~: v> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
& i3 u# l7 }2 [$ ?% Z6 ]! s> 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
> 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
0 o3 }. g$ U& U& n0 k> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
+ D3 }4 m7 H) p& g> '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
% z) K0 r! u8 j> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
) O& W$ I! m5 c. |% [> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 H! l* V; X6 n2 l- J4 l- ?> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
. M& W5 \2 r" s8 E2 F" x, v> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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+ J" H" J& w; R& [$ Z> 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
" u4 \8 i+ n4 v$ e. J> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.