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
; C, [7 s7 E5 _" X> 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
3 K. ~, D$ l/ N0 F> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
5 \8 ~# A. ]+ U6 x6 I6 m>
* |# O5 z; }6 P' c" R. U> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# s& g# J. P4 S0 f7 }> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! X% _8 v1 |) o3 N- m> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
! Z5 V% |$ ]! y- |0 d- i> treat that child.'
>
4 {9 z9 |4 h/ t! U# s7 N  c# F> 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
) j$ b& y/ A4 y$ r4 ?- T/ P> 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.
$ |/ a1 K5 U" v" Y, p9 E: k) [>
; q* n  _5 B9 p> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
. l7 p! o, d* g> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
$ c( t8 I# m5 C/ \> 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
' C1 x; ?* [  l> inning.'
>
/ \" I/ e6 T4 Y- }, e> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. K2 z! B& w1 o- {' W9 ~4 L> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
; J# G  Y+ Z4 }  k/ b* S> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
4 G4 c7 x0 y9 b/ g6 I# Y! P  _8 b> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
& m& V& Q. \" B- c) N/ R$ y0 `> 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
- Q* j4 `4 l# L7 S- `( K! G> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
. X0 p& j# c& X9 O! S* Y2 H> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
) Q$ v  {! m9 R2 [> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
4 q3 f3 J) R6 C- q/ j% w9 g) d> 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 k' E, E5 L  e" ~/ U> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
% A% H; C, D, K( x$ E0 P6 g9 r> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
4 L0 j- r6 u. A4 {" b> 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
9 |: k- ?) m, Q: v  x: |& o8 r( ~5 ]  X> 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
4 p7 c  ^5 Z9 ^4 \> right back to the pitcher.
>
$ `9 [2 A, ~0 n8 n6 O% `. j1 {0 {8 z> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ P, J) ^% E* r( ~1 t! u> 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.
>
% y) p; I7 z, M5 S> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
; r; U) Z  n3 X" h- M, r4 B. P> wide-eyed and startled.
4 ]1 A) U/ S9 w' n) q3 h5 B>
3 ~9 j. y+ \$ p5 }# I> 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
0 ]2 ?5 Y, z1 U> 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
: N2 L8 p; m7 |. W' y> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
) \6 l" T5 }! }, [' g> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
5 e: A7 h4 |% L+ H0 i/ b) [% V% d# J> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
; O9 d8 t; `2 }/ O) h( \6 ^$ c: s> circled the bases toward home.
) X, G0 @2 X0 g>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
>
# H2 [8 v0 c5 O" ^& N' q> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
) u/ C+ J; u- {, J9 [; l" ?> 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
. P: f8 ?5 R4 u> game for his team.
>
> '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
8 R( H, @% N  g4 ~> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
2 W. ~7 j- g/ _8 ^>
2 H) s. @( ^3 b. ~> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 t" Y$ S6 `1 o' e4 [9 K> 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.
# I. T8 d6 P' M9 N- S>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# d: x5 n$ D8 \2 w# D* g/ Q> 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
1 G& P& o* _( @5 \) e/ R% Y, o# D> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
8 Z. I8 [) b: @: y2 R1 J$ T> 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
' i) w3 i' C) j# c( u, M> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 S* J# h6 X( @( V0 T  o- F" f, C> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
/ Y6 z. f' F1 \/ \, O3 i> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.