Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! J+ a( k7 O/ b> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
2 M' ]5 t; r+ K7 _9 y6 S> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( d/ c' m  U* D> 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
; y$ {; L. `( [$ e" v3 K9 k> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
2 x+ K' D* O) S% l2 K/ q) i/ V> 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
. C0 i0 X$ ^! b( p* X0 c4 ^> 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
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
. r2 v; t- a+ _0 }4 K; c> treat that child.'
>
; i5 K/ O* d7 w! o, p( q, n! 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
. c* R4 y+ ]: `+ \# ~; A" s# ^# r> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
: \; m, [0 w/ n% x' [' y" y> 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,
2 l5 @# J2 f: v( b2 {> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
6 O' [' I" z) B9 z6 V. x; |> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
) x/ z* i+ s- i2 r> 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
/ c' t# x2 j6 y. ?7 {( }7 w, e> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
+ U7 z5 k3 [" J  u) Y; N> 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
& B6 J% G2 Z- c' y' `/ `> 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
' s1 q: F8 [/ r9 V1 z) H4 w> 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
7 u4 K! |) I# x) i/ H, A- M# r> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
9 w0 n8 L1 E& ]> 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
. Q$ _; g, F8 {> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
8 w# Y+ c. _; i+ @$ Z> 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,
: l7 s  ~9 X5 W; H  Y, G$ \, W> much less connect with the ball.
9 G* P* \0 o8 X" w7 ]/ Q> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
0 F, ?) ?4 v" g. `3 s2 L> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
# ?$ y2 U) r' V" F# `+ H9 W> 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 T4 g) y  h$ X& U> right back to the pitcher.
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: ]% K  W, R+ \% \& i* @% W> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) n+ [+ g3 k& L% a7 J7 {7 @> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
& Q* v# t! t: F+ I7 V> 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
  s$ Q/ {; A! b; j( j8 Q> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
+ ~* L( B& p! J! R> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
  U' ^0 y. F' ~! C# T( c> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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: n4 o3 v4 R, {% u> 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
7 `  G1 @' e9 v+ w  }9 w% y; K> 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
3 r9 F: o0 H9 G4 u: T- v> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
! g" l. ^. R1 @% `! p1 V( ?- f0 ?> 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
+ Q" U3 ]7 K$ L; G6 q5 u# B> circled the bases toward home.
>
6 p, i7 u# F+ f( h> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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 Y9 ?1 I2 g1 [1 u! p/ R> Shay, run to third!'
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' ~- Z1 X, y  W/ I- r> 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
) r+ ?. g$ ]) a> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
# `' r7 m$ Y0 }7 b* C> game for his team.
>
/ A# e  K7 T  o& b9 m> '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
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
0 h8 \6 R, O& s> 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!
>
  ^. s0 v5 ]: J9 v> 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
& c) C) l$ E5 |. ^% j8 m& C& R> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
& {1 p) M0 G. }# C2 }> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ n% ~/ e" T0 S/ G3 t. e- H> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
7 {# c  Q. H( M7 J& l> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 M6 V, x0 Z4 }" c6 ]9 s$ a2 Q" t> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
- a& o3 @  A# Y> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
" ?. U2 P. G. [4 I. n3 I# y> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- h6 [2 Q, B! f; v# N> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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" b5 {0 Z8 w& p( L> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
+ h: Z3 ^3 E9 v> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.