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
> same choice?
>
! B- ~4 V2 h' v/ z# \9 w9 F$ ^, i! Q> 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
+ L, ?% |7 N  M  J5 S> staff, he offered a question:
>
1 \) U3 x5 J  Y) L1 f/ k( V- Z> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
+ L7 \& l+ N8 f9 K- S/ f0 b> 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
# C" Y  k# v) {- S> natural order of things in my son?'
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0 B2 J# v% N+ {5 O# v) ^; ?> The audience was stilled by the query.
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. _- a! U/ L3 K: a: x5 x> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! q4 P9 H7 ]! n4 D. P( b: J> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
$ h2 `8 ]3 g- S; j9 I; N> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
! ~8 v4 W8 H" F9 v. r, x* ?) `> treat that child.'
>
  s. ]- i% V0 B" m$ ^> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 z7 N- |8 `0 K" {9 o> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
0 Q1 X, P0 b. W- x+ h7 Z> 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,
. \7 f0 Y$ D, Y" O' o! f> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
1 `) W( j* Q8 O( h> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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" B, V6 W; u6 W' Z9 ?1 {> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# ~- f: N! ]2 \; w+ p! L1 }> 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 U! z5 V+ R; b' i5 M1 ^0 }> 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
> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
$ \; U9 p5 Q6 K5 L> 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
% i1 a0 S* y& Y> next at bat.
>
4 u( P+ ?  Q, y+ Y' T: s3 w> 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,
% G4 i* L" r. V- }& Y! V2 t: \> 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
1 B" r3 W! B" M$ \* l" g> 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
  b& ]6 ^% x% d; ~3 L& `> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
. Q. B: Q+ P; C1 c" R7 L> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( b& S0 a: K' D, ?7 A2 t7 v& T; H> 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.
>
; c1 J1 }: p6 P4 o> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
! a2 i9 p+ C) l9 B7 l9 j> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
5 V$ B( O1 B* |3 g& x3 Z7 A> 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,
# @! P% E2 z# |2 w, F6 e" ]> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
: S! r1 R6 x' k$ p" U: i8 X> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
9 z9 g8 p6 Y- U( K2 l> 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
8 u! ]) j, R/ K7 |9 E! N, v> 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
- Z3 u7 A6 v3 b2 N* ?> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
& ~2 t, J/ x  ?6 }> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: N) Q! d4 x* U( J5 S5 d> 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.
>
7 p4 s8 ~+ b: i" ]3 G3 d7 y" t> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
4 o- B- k8 q) H( t) Z& f> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> 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
5 E$ f6 T4 Z3 y3 Z( V! Q: j. C  |> 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
6 y; I) O1 X. N" h( Z5 I4 G> 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
> 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
. m$ l% e- G, }8 r9 |> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
  B& B! [. l5 H4 B% r> '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
. D3 h- R. Z2 f$ @- W7 ~> 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 H! Q6 q# D5 m( C9 {( B4 n  J> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
$ z1 |( Z" k; ]) b  A> 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:
0 Y( w5 O" X7 v3 Z  C' e/ n> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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7 K9 B( [2 q3 h# F' m, `> May your day, be a Shay Day.