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
> same choice?
>
* n; \1 y4 L( d- j: j: x> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
* `; D& P# Y* V$ b> 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:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
. D# F9 c( V4 \: O' Z2 Z- k> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
% l; G& o2 R( u, O# h+ i! k5 C> natural order of things in my son?'
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# R7 Q, d7 u6 u5 h1 }> The audience was stilled by the query.
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* _2 i' `5 V+ i& k% L2 b8 M9 s> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
4 Y; Q! A, L! O7 Q  ~> 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
4 [$ q; K: o2 |) Y> 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,
) g0 K6 E; E: r6 A3 C> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
/ V- P' c8 ~/ R3 l% }> 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
9 l$ o5 [( y$ `; ^0 G2 p! n> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
1 X1 i. w1 c0 _* G  o> 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
4 m" C' U2 n( |! q) m> inning.'
>
> 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
> 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
1 z) e! r: w8 v% y, ~  @* Y) b$ I' d> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
, v; s$ x% p9 _3 J> 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
  @: `. I  F5 c/ u) m> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
9 U9 S) \2 H, w3 C# |- _> 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,
0 M/ ^# S- w: K6 q0 @> 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
3 x* o. {$ d# ~7 B5 r. W( \# B> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
9 e8 D* Q0 m. ]9 c* ^- q# p1 o% @> 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
7 q( ?8 N# A* o# T2 R, `5 H> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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.
>
# w- T. U8 ~7 m# i  c1 X6 l) j$ Q> 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
$ s4 i1 e" V+ H! U> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
1 i$ g$ J% ^* X4 ?# W% K! [> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
: K) Y: r; |( Y1 {6 E> 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
3 V) ?- k8 b  E9 u7 R  b" D> 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'
>
: j3 Q2 I1 z( b9 e% P> 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!'
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+ r: q& N7 H+ Y  X> 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
4 P. e; L! P6 b1 b! C* T> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
, h9 g$ D* ]8 v" V. Y> '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'.
>
+ E- @, U: i9 M/ O& ^7 C> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
5 n9 e6 D$ C; l$ H7 Q$ t4 z  x7 {/ C> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
! D8 p# ?. X* T# [- Q> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
" r" ?9 X4 }# I( \7 ?; D> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
: |0 ?: ]( g; M) g> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" L. U5 }; y& |  C5 q- ?7 t9 @> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 a- p" U3 O: t> 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
' S) _% w- D! |$ K; L3 N> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
3 z& i+ i* Q7 Z' U: B. k3 e> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
7 [$ c$ c% [1 V. T0 K4 E> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
# `1 L# b# L, k& \' \6 i4 D> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* Z7 ^* L! w/ }> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
9 S4 o/ _7 S  x, v% W> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
* Y. W0 b" N5 H/ C' x& G> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.