Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* @3 q3 B5 G& N7 N  m> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
0 D$ w, E0 R) `5 E> same choice?
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> 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
2 T, i1 B$ ]  s$ H  n> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; w/ Y/ _& `' k! G+ Z3 g" M> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
: N3 K1 N( v$ E* H3 R5 g> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
1 b/ H) f5 |! y! j) a3 [! k> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 \, i. i6 I* E& J  H4 V> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
% m) X, g" Z3 z' b6 P5 p; O. V> treat that child.'
>
$ y- f% ?- p: J4 M) i  x0 F  S+ ^> Then he told the following story:
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8 r5 S8 T0 n0 S/ j; N9 P! i7 j$ m> 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
4 K8 j4 F, O4 ^8 X0 Q' e! k, j% 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,
! o2 Q& G& _5 D5 E$ e. I; P7 s> 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
> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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" _- T0 Q3 }  B& L! m. t* a8 T. d> 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
) k' |" X. R' F5 ]> 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
5 |8 |, F7 j6 x' b9 @! ]1 ~> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
3 s. @4 d4 ^/ s/ v> 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
, G$ p: Z1 l$ q$ r( m2 s0 X+ J* P. C0 y% h> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
/ J  z. N* s6 y# b8 B+ j  F> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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" u: y7 C2 ^3 R/ g> 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
! V$ P" _3 `; i  B" a: Q> 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
" P8 D. j$ e8 H: R9 Z1 r0 n> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
+ k5 ^/ Z# X8 E" Y; n> 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
( [  g% s9 j, ?% U3 I> 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 F: B7 R, ?# h> right back to the pitcher.
>
( l0 E% R, u& c9 ?1 u> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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6 o9 x( u; x  b: x9 v; X, ^( H> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
7 F5 b) C9 h. P- X- v* \1 l> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
. z, R4 X3 X4 }8 e> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
8 o; Q$ Q$ z5 C) O& S' x( F> 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,
% J0 C+ _6 N& D, S> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
; u  O: \( I' h' v. d9 R& O! k> 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
$ l( X& s: v; D! j; E> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
6 W7 m5 T1 |' D6 e% y> Shay, run to third!'
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- m% c+ K; ]% H7 N4 F7 D> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ D4 l3 g' w, o. D7 P> 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
0 m3 i# y) |+ ~" v, ]> 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
> into this world'.
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( U; Y; p& @" m  ^6 {> 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
' {1 |% O% P. J% ^* `1 Z# i3 P> 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
3 q* V0 C4 \4 F+ l4 r! R> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
0 j) Z1 H# m! N" D2 x> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
5 L9 U6 B" O& g# G* w$ d> 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
4 W# \& T! p+ Y/ {2 ~% C( w> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
  ~/ G  w, k# F) `6 n> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
! N& C# a8 V* V/ l% A7 Q0 Z> 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
9 N8 \* f* [" u; z3 q  V% e> bit colder in the process?
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> 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:
# p/ M3 m& N7 P> 1. Delete
1 P  u3 h( b0 H2 t1 x> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.