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?
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: o1 p/ z7 V3 G: m. r/ @& L# m> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
8 d$ j; Z  @0 M> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! ?, I6 A& z, @% _" D; q> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
! H6 S, v3 N& ?- V2 \> natural order of things in my son?'
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5 T6 F8 ]0 w/ U4 |/ k> The audience was stilled by the query.
1 A. f* A- m* U  `>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
$ Q! d. Y/ ^: g> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
; M0 [2 ?- k% T> treat that child.'
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# T8 M6 E% w7 X) Z' e% b" P> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
5 j7 [9 W+ u- m$ w> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
2 ~) `! o* o; i5 b3 |> 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.
>
. J; o8 m% Q0 c$ a9 u> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
> 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
  m$ v! k6 E/ f1 |4 p5 H# o4 Z) ~6 t> inning.'
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: p2 R% V7 q4 O0 w2 l- Q> 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
! I" U1 i9 K# O! T$ v# V9 _> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
! D% w! ~% A" q, r( T> 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
8 e0 E4 N3 R1 _2 z/ |2 L> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 l: Q$ z2 |6 n4 H) |> 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
6 M9 Y- y+ G+ D2 O> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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' o5 d1 P6 C; _1 N> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
1 Y* F  T: j8 X> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
8 }) M; z2 u$ s> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
( j* n6 @: y" C* }' F> 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.
- p8 E0 N5 l, l' R8 f8 \> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
" o* \6 e' b8 `. e) ~; \( {9 T> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
( P. [" R( W  @+ ^> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( \7 u& y2 t4 a" V: s& U1 d) n> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
4 N2 V, V9 Q, M( ]2 m> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
7 D( N' j& I9 ^3 P> 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
. h, Y0 t( |" P- b, I' n> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 t% S$ P; n  I0 E$ i8 V0 S' v+ v> 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
. t% ~; {' d- v7 u3 O8 X> 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'
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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!'
>
. O/ Z8 }# ^! k+ f  k8 f> 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
> 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
' H3 x5 m9 {3 d> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
* S: q. ^, r1 J- t; ]3 c> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
% Q- @; A# Y2 n7 C2 y> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
# B: I. N! ?% |  t2 F- \2 G% s> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
8 Q$ j8 \2 x4 g6 ^2 H: F> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
+ M( |( c2 k: B% [> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- s6 C8 ?# N# o> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
0 Q* g0 r# f" |1 e/ H2 e> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
0 n4 B3 Q/ m) r: `, U$ D3 q% t> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
( j3 ?# b8 M; _. j- ?, a  l6 j> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
$ {& n7 O7 l/ E' q0 U, n. \; {> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' Z: Z$ |# T) i+ q- d# G% t. W> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.