Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ `. n: |. [1 s  m% l> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
2 s. d' i% t( F) e5 p> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
8 g1 z3 R! w$ J  g  l> 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:
>
8 I$ T- D5 o# n4 \$ t; Q> '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
' Z& o& y5 Q$ a6 Z: O: Y0 h> natural order of things in my son?'
>
5 ?' n4 T# k* ~! H6 |+ n- |: K> The audience was stilled by the query.
4 j& p0 T: T8 l, E+ n>
: N% k3 p. i2 E3 G$ E& S( o! `7 A5 O> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! Q; D+ p8 g* ^' L> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
2 n, a( [6 ]/ J  H: e> treat that child.'
( @0 O7 h& K! _7 ]>
) K  t8 f: F: D9 o> Then he told the following story:
>
$ f/ [, t8 ?! V, g5 N> 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
> 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.
& P" E$ z2 e0 t- ]1 f>
9 q* }  ?& A; z9 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
$ M+ m6 B7 a6 j> 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.'
>
! f' m" ~8 o2 z- M7 n: I> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# n( V: O. M: e8 q5 C* i3 n# o2 N> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
+ K+ p. |! Q9 p# O> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
; L, K6 }. w8 k& y0 I> 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
" L+ s9 s$ X: v% n4 G9 r- X; y4 H$ _> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
! P) A3 b' x+ B> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
- @" \- ]3 n$ E> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
, v/ S9 d9 R/ @- p$ z7 K6 _> 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
0 T% J* e. k% [! t: }  f1 f> next at bat.
>
> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
# _" f6 s; s/ C! `: E> much less connect with the ball.
3 ~3 m8 t, s+ o5 ^> 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
( L* G5 W0 B# Z6 D> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
) |! J1 s. @, j# j2 f; b0 ~# i* k> 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.
2 B$ V( G0 O1 \) R0 D> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
* F. e/ s, g; n, F& X> right back to the pitcher.
  N" p: j2 \& L3 `>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 P0 C/ K7 s* Z6 r- B& m4 X1 f7 z" Z> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
7 A5 g: B5 W4 @8 w> out and that would have been the end of the game.
& O+ d2 Q. ?5 Q6 K>
9 |; B, P/ \# d$ G% C& m> 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
4 J# b% ], L: w! z0 o( n> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
" p4 V8 z" h- F& R> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) a; k- w6 g$ H5 ~' ], E2 i3 T+ h> 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
( y- r  V- I+ A> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
: _- F% k% G" v+ i* r; b> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
$ U# v6 r0 h- m/ I/ b; Y0 e> 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
/ E& ?1 C$ C2 T" ^4 A+ d/ T> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
% _4 Q5 t# _2 V6 v; ~# G* F( x: ]> circled the bases toward home.
: S& m! F& b: @5 C>
3 g0 u2 n. t5 j1 K- G6 S> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
" f5 R! t6 _! {> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
! ]( I: t4 |- u: I> 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
> 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.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 l! H+ {6 `9 z4 a0 u& `/ v> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
; Y# `/ w6 ^4 ?. L* R( C2 ]>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 c' l4 n' t+ i- f' w5 w! V> 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!
8 Q- S$ H0 Z3 w: l+ A3 V>
+ ?" J# `) G" H! ~  A> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
! U! _, z7 d5 q, r> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
* m5 p- X7 [' J  q/ Z) P> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
5 ]2 m: ~1 q& b/ e9 X, Q7 b6 h>
5 F6 l% B) ^# W> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 i$ f4 b8 N) T; ~; d, j> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
& e7 U8 t6 B* O> '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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
6 o1 j5 J8 W( y2 P1 G/ [> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
  k, S" t! }+ A; {) g; z2 w> bit colder in the process?
>
8 m7 i4 ^. ~/ l2 I7 e> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> 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.