Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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6 v( U: q) c" v8 ~. _> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* A2 }3 s. q1 R& X& P> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
4 ?; e, h5 \( B> 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?'
>
' v0 ^1 \! z) [; H; U> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
& [$ J( y1 X; C% N# ~6 f> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& U+ p2 P$ [: _+ q. a# v> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
! s7 \7 h9 J) ^- o  `/ G: H/ y> treat that child.'
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( H# N, q6 l! b8 e> Then he told the following story:
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  M7 Y! I6 _) e> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 w$ E4 s/ M3 [: F> 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
> 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.
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5 E: F4 d+ j% ]4 b% P. x& N, ^/ D> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
: S; K& `2 \' Y3 V6 Q> 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
7 Z5 Z! l; p" j, L) E$ _> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
, g; ^7 f0 a( B; C  I* p> inning.'
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> 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
/ C& R" d4 E- z( ]> 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
> next at bat.
>
: K6 D5 N) @5 [$ X2 \' ?$ Y> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
% f* |" ?+ {& L+ F5 H/ t  N2 m  b> 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,
7 [( _" r: B) ?' Q; i> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
+ s- U8 A+ g: @1 o2 ?$ U> 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
# h/ I$ p' \; @2 w; t% k1 r' Y4 g> 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
* J. c8 J  N, e+ x1 x> right back to the pitcher.
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6 B$ V9 f6 C( N: ^1 H> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
! `, m9 G5 h. m% R% }, c> 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
0 d0 u* t+ G" L: \! B/ k> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
2 c' ^6 q- q$ v: v! y> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
, i- ?- o; X) ~" l$ p8 j3 I0 U7 G% F> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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7 T# q9 o' G% b/ e. P7 @> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
4 ^; p# s! D( ?" S> 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
> 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,
6 V7 H# \$ e- y; b3 x> 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.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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5 ~( z. Q# k) I; _> 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!
2 F9 @& u0 H, V8 i0 n> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
' [, M8 p  c# Z. ~8 `: @0 U! R8 I> 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
# E, [6 c+ U$ S0 R) O$ O> 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
> 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
- b+ z' }* M5 t/ V+ V( [8 C> 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
* A9 g6 Z& J% G0 C* I& X+ E+ u: f, `0 X> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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" E7 I1 T9 D( h1 _9 L: a> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: ~+ n% x0 s3 o( a8 M> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
6 q+ a% y0 X, r- E! v7 `> '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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
# E- D' y. r$ n5 w1 c> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
# h+ Z" A4 |+ X> 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
( U3 @( r. ]8 B% Q0 @1 f, R: ?2 N% e> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
- l. q0 @$ {' ~& y> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.