Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 ?1 j; n- J% N" k5 J" R+ k3 g+ W9 ]8 ?> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
! c+ p% F, n8 P7 K- v0 V> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
: k% O, t$ I' r; N1 @- h4 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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5 t/ m" K9 ]3 N0 R6 s> '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
7 |& c2 b  j) u- L7 a) f> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
8 ^! e$ K! u; u( l9 F2 }: m& T- a> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 I3 H; W* v: ~8 {7 }- ?! |> treat that child.'
>
) }$ ]3 n. W) ^  v5 Q> Then he told the following story:
>
8 o. D4 a/ |0 N9 O6 O1 H> 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
7 f) J9 y  y% r7 i> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
& W& p9 g0 g% C+ W% r> 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.
>
5 d/ z, ^3 P$ [: I/ n" D! C' h> 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
. Q  K, z" v! ]$ T> 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
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
8 G6 Y7 k2 q1 R4 P& n" Y3 b& B! 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
+ s' @$ I* ]+ M! {> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
% c* E. e3 S  l# N" {% o8 n# ]) |+ K. W/ p> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
; w+ d! {1 L' @0 R6 l: b> 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
> next at bat.
>
9 z4 i! t% J' m/ v> 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
* ^! C( w' w# |9 [; o> 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
. z* N! B4 Y6 z4 y8 O> 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
7 G3 R3 i6 `: w4 U* ~> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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.
>
% g0 C6 X; @1 n, S> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
( l9 S( Y+ J  |0 L) L3 r* U6 O> 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
- p7 w9 S5 R1 j, R% A9 W) U> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
" K2 Q+ e0 n/ ], M7 a* O> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" n) V9 x& X# N+ p" a( `% p# ?3 T> 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
& s4 e4 v9 U& I> 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
& `% [, z8 B5 t8 H> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
: `  j. ?% M" {! L> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
0 G4 A! _- G; I> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
) F5 F6 {0 ], E> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
" \) ^5 Y5 }& o7 P> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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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/ s6 `" f; g3 q0 W! J> '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
9 V/ t  T3 k. x> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
  x+ Y3 {, h* C6 @> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
" ]$ R8 r" q7 e! }* G: }> 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
8 @  Y8 P% `8 F) Z6 ^! }4 k> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
9 y* o1 u5 S* k: ~% f6 p/ B/ J> 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.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
. G+ _- b* s+ c' {2 m> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
% M& \* N0 s7 {5 {& W: t' m) D> 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
> bit colder in the process?
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+ P% z" ~, x+ N0 t> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ h: v" z+ W( v" |> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
4 G! ]9 f- r  y$ L' I4 `/ _> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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+ B4 d' y& I: N% z/ O> May your day, be a Shay Day.