Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
: A, u3 n: f3 \) X! h1 M6 P" X  J. x> 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
; D; Q" ~5 H' ?* w' L4 l6 d> same choice?
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> 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
' O$ R% X0 s) T! m5 |1 q# X' _! {> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
3 i: l; k3 q* L7 t4 Q> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 a. u$ A3 R+ Y> 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
6 G. X4 b. @# p+ S3 x( 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
1 |" e7 X$ @% r5 n> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
7 [; H: N: \. Y9 p/ H> treat that child.'
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& E- ]7 s! }, H1 D. M> Then he told the following story:
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* O( N- ^& v9 h9 i% L% R> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
" z$ X6 {" h4 n5 M> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
( T+ N3 D* _8 O$ q5 t+ {: F> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# [/ H* s; a1 ]5 u" P* _. @> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
8 p6 A' k, H) ?& {> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
$ i% f' S6 R7 E- K- x4 D6 W7 U> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
  l" v# {: {: l( Q> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
  t) }; K2 \% S: b! R3 s, Y! z> 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
> 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
> 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
0 B, k5 C: o. G. E" ~> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ Y! q/ j; f9 }/ e7 ]8 N) g2 y> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
7 g5 w) g9 L% X> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
1 Q9 S% Y# ?, {) M3 M0 K& j5 w. s> much less connect with the ball.
7 G9 W. _: \1 U  q) U: A1 [1 @> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
2 [& ~3 T! E8 c> 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.
5 x$ ^6 N% k1 g8 r- {> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
3 o) H7 f3 ~0 T- [, n- D> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
" @6 I9 {, v! q# ?% r2 g9 p> 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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  C1 I; F" g3 r0 p> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
6 V) Q/ T1 H4 m" {9 v> 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
4 g5 m9 x- J3 z. N- T> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
% @# u6 p0 g; F; y; t> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* k. ^7 k5 q& n6 Z5 w> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 b" H; g4 g. F0 I' G% u. 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
7 c& O" ?2 p! ~# m5 H! g! `> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 F# C5 \, {  R$ u> circled the bases toward home.
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3 o2 h6 y0 {; f! \> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
! S$ h+ T: k2 Y4 L6 U> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
5 [2 a7 C7 p( w4 k- G0 I> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
* _2 y8 ~- v8 x! q> 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
> 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
6 @; `5 C2 B% a  k4 t; t2 K% c/ m> 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
> 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
# q: }* F3 ^+ O+ m+ w> 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.
>
& V! h$ J! j9 I7 q% k& |> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
> 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
; R4 V! h2 R  O2 i8 P- _. A> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
( I. f* x8 |& I, P  o; S> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
8 ^5 J: f7 A, i! a' ?> 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
* w: I2 W7 a# I% w- u7 k5 Y> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
( C( z# d& |- k0 F$ z% {5 P$ r> bit colder in the process?
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( M8 Z/ o* g, A) V  I, t( i2 f8 w> A wise man once said every society is judged by
/ ~' W( l0 I2 B> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
  V8 t0 ]* p4 O6 X: N> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
+ r/ d0 U% s2 y2 O0 W7 O9 G* O; ^> May your day, be a Shay Day.