Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
& a9 Z5 g" l; |5 }2 W7 ~" v> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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* e6 u- K- C0 w9 \+ z7 e7 }2 Y> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
. [# G( ]1 P: p: a9 `. @6 m' A> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: K$ e9 @, X7 q" f9 b. ?) |> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' \9 t; _/ F2 @* a2 Y8 u> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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' E$ [, B& v" s+ Y, f> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
- y) f7 E1 d( Q: b, h> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! w; [2 F0 R( I* I# i1 [( ?4 P$ v* s> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
" i7 f& g9 Q7 O9 w> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
. l* j- k7 a4 \6 i> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
! u; b1 P6 f  z  I! J1 e> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
' }! V6 G$ F8 U3 ^) i> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
: Q1 c/ T( w5 J; d# L> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
; o, F, Z- H; a' n" R- n" _( k1 @1 Y5 M/ g> 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
& L  i) g1 b% d> 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
; Z1 {+ v! F% T2 Z: Q- G> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
3 G5 J* `% N% d- W/ q> 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
( b- G3 p& z) Q% W2 w> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
9 ^; H) z4 K( T) q! j  J1 }1 p5 w> 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
6 M! ?) O, I# i> 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
0 z3 @3 O) x' H! g# Q' i, W5 Y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
/ T$ v  @0 C3 E4 E" r  d> next at bat.
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8 @: E+ i% k1 E, P2 {) v4 {> 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,
> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
* C5 R3 Z6 r7 }$ T& t" j5 l( J> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
  [0 i" @( T1 s/ P7 }8 ^. s, T> 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
6 s, K) }( }! e: r; l  Z2 S> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
0 {9 q% L! E; t1 _+ Y1 `> 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
- o% _6 }8 u7 u+ C* v; `> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
3 k0 o8 _( S5 w$ ~; W4 A) g! z0 o> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 m  Z! k8 ^- S$ y2 c4 \> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
! U5 i% f* S0 @> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
4 W" e9 E  G# h3 l+ p" _0 U> 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
& g/ J; M( L+ \) D; ~. z# `> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
" ?1 E. L7 J$ U, e# f+ T> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
! q2 v" a3 y2 h: G* ~. o0 f> 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'
>
> 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!
1 O  Q5 f" V. Q3 k: y7 ?: {> 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
3 T! Q$ Z* X+ `2 r> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
  V8 x8 L( ^- b. {) d. _> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
; X! @# d0 _( }- \> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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+ g7 A; s7 ?, n3 m3 D0 Y2 I> 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
$ P5 o5 I) ~2 w, d# C/ V" j2 a$ R> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
0 E5 T7 x+ F! s1 [. b> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
! s2 A9 k8 ], \) W: c* y2 D  C. S> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
: R8 \) \$ Y& h> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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# w/ D6 i2 y  N9 h. T9 d> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# @2 |& ]" q* q3 Y) Q% U( j> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
$ g( Z" h+ Z7 _. w> '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
% z. \3 L6 H3 U> 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
" h% A( _# ~7 U- p> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
6 K# F( O" `! A4 a> bit colder in the process?
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1 i0 a4 T1 d) U> 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
>
' v6 e4 P* O* B8 i3 ^+ Z% k1 D> May your day, be a Shay Day.