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
: X: U. w3 Z" x- u9 i1 k2 Y> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ C" M2 x0 K2 V, U; C& p> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
, `- y4 i$ Z2 O> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
+ g# }. f. [; x" C# n; h> staff, he offered a question:
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& A5 R" q# f. H' U. `$ S# y> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' ~& B) u4 s+ w; ?> 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?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
. U0 m* R0 f% E/ V> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 c, [/ d: l! Z8 i) G, n0 f> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# Y  g# r7 f& c4 @1 N3 s> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
$ {0 W; \( C$ E> 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
+ K9 M+ [2 b+ }/ E* V' M5 G: }> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
& H: ~/ s8 Z/ G( W+ H> 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,
% f3 L/ c8 w7 u) i! z> 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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2 {: o7 o( J, V. q" N. G7 S+ `> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
% ^# b8 j( l- \9 G+ b> 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
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
  q" W6 w5 N5 C: t) I. p4 R> 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
: ~0 \" ~, t; D- u' @; q; e> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
: O3 g% l* m( ~% G> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
/ j4 j- o+ w' u* N$ G> 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
& s# i( w8 E1 ]! @. u> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
2 \0 P2 s* x) i2 e> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  u7 y% x9 W% C> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
: K5 K; _; `' n; q$ f7 \> 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
/ u. m2 ~* k. Z5 c. L/ s> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
) z% c  M, L6 h- l. P3 I> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
! n. m+ I& X+ a/ W> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
1 z" ?+ {) a& s  v- n! q% |> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( U( i; }4 [' }% N) V1 I> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
: i/ e% p% ~/ X8 E5 G2 s0 c0 g> 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
$ ]$ h0 Q7 y& B6 j& _> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
# y/ `8 l. d9 W0 d9 g( c  n> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
5 ?( l/ J- ~, H+ p, O# K> 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,
' V8 A- E" |  e) g' H9 K> 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'
>
' K. j$ @0 G8 Y- I> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
1 I5 `1 ^* g+ Z# }> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, S1 P+ a) Q& i1 e% |> 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
+ J) S7 R" X7 `6 e2 m/ P( `> game for his team.
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$ a* x/ V- z7 I7 y> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  P8 W: Q! v3 ~5 X( `> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
1 O( q9 `* D2 e' y> 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!
>
! N; E7 `% r2 X6 B6 S, t> 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
! ^* ?$ P4 k& g) W0 i> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
( J/ k( ^% i6 ]- W> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
+ _* c& [6 U+ j. S" d1 l' D> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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6 a5 f; e& N+ \( K8 z( L8 E0 ~> 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
> 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
8 ]1 ?; g% H# n% ~$ N: L% T$ g> 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
4 m; S, k/ h8 ^> bit colder in the process?
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/ s( q* Q5 x$ ]( m8 f' |% N> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
4 R  _6 M, v- U5 B$ h' c, A. B  ]# t> 1. Delete
3 ]( V) k# J6 K9 Q7 p: p> 2. Forward
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/ q- g% l  r5 F1 J( `, N- J> May your day, be a Shay Day.