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
5 r; O: w0 t: n0 M4 I# l/ T> same choice?
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, L1 M: w/ Q: u) Q) x* o> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
/ u+ ?# e- M- b% ~> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
. E) V+ M- l  G+ X) k8 q, y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
: a& |  ^3 ^9 L: {1 g3 x> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 n: t/ [' z8 b( q> 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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" a3 S5 f+ e' w7 V0 a4 o> 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
> treat that child.'
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6 I8 z* T9 G6 S: f$ H7 O3 s- ]> Then he told the following story:
>
5 T+ ^7 d$ C8 a4 J; D  X> 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
7 H1 y8 w  G% S  D! `0 U3 ~> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# N7 H) ]! F$ Q* ?> 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
- _% E% q/ K. h$ M/ S' h9 A# x> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
8 F8 z( I9 I, ]3 S  j. i$ g1 h> inning.'
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! e+ j' |: e- M6 i> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
( e' r9 }+ D2 {9 i9 `1 p- I0 d> 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
1 {, z) y/ f  M9 @+ z> 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
/ o0 }# p. [+ w* ~> 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
- Q& T/ o* |' Y2 U+ M> 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
4 E: c: l) M. F8 Z. P> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
* z  ~$ }$ u; O" X9 `( Y> 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,
& v; s3 {) V0 O6 s. H> much less connect with the ball.
. S6 t1 B# e" @, X  y> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ F; X3 x" Q' @- i& t> 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
2 y( X* k8 W, a* Q1 x0 S> 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.
* O& J. u4 w( ?/ N> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
9 f* j$ S& a6 n5 t. x8 [> right back to the pitcher.
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4 U2 E  i( I! ^# U2 O> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
  n& d" B: g& b) K6 g) N> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
& e4 l9 l" n3 S7 ]  n> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
5 X' ?+ N5 B, _$ T* n5 i> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
8 G( R3 y% i- L3 I0 w0 F, @> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. Q$ b; t! K* V. z5 l2 q> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
- S. ?! }# N! L& T3 U8 {% K  H! [> 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,
" f; R7 l3 l# H) ?> 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
/ c0 Q3 r8 h+ ^* Z& @/ o# m* e> circled the bases toward home.
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1 f' E) {1 K! d4 {7 E4 W. E> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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* o0 ~) @4 E8 Z; u5 g$ w6 p% w> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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' i' U4 }4 ?% G6 s> 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,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
2 A( j# F0 Y( Z" O+ h7 u> into this world'.
>
> 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
2 [1 C7 l& M! K4 X  \9 G0 R( m> 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
> 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
: j  L; I) {, R> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
1 d9 k0 u+ O) K> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
. v% R! Z  l, F6 R0 n: [& n- i> 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
9 e2 F9 y' q, P5 Q/ D> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
; u/ U  w* U0 h0 L! C> A wise man once said every society is judged by
( i. P0 x5 i$ i+ @: r> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
" d  r5 s5 b+ \; Z% M8 O( G3 L& j> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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2 R! v( m  f. k. j- _> May your day, be a Shay Day.