Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, Z9 H* V" f, Q+ r% g& G% d" `> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  L( ?) k! z, N> same choice?
>
8 I; Z/ @: r. ?" }' w> 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
, e6 }4 x5 O9 t5 C> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
( N4 Q$ }3 a/ j9 d( O> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
7 |, o" T6 B* X, g/ H4 N> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 O5 E' F- E/ l% H2 h: ~- y8 ~- i> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 k: h& w( @- M. w5 s> treat that child.'
>
$ I8 I8 `/ o% i7 k4 n+ F. P' ]) ~+ ~4 M% @> Then he told the following story:
>
- X8 E7 ^, `$ Q! S: e4 K> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ O$ C7 V, X! v! H( W> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
9 e. r( e& h; X( f! _* P6 V% D> 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.
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> 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
) Z( Q+ ^8 [+ J6 j> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
, Z( {  a3 k* i' M+ Z! |% T; n( b> 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
+ \5 D( E2 d# Y; w% K> 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
: O. N; q: q8 X> 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
+ i  f; |6 j; |" _7 i& Y> 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
* a; q; ?  G. W7 ]2 b" K> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
# L2 X% A6 v4 U4 G/ h$ {> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
' B, R' c& v! X6 T> next at bat.
>
> 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
1 `7 S* n3 V/ L- R> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
8 c/ b# r2 Z- e> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
+ ^# t  k! v* y> 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
4 t; p9 b+ R$ j0 v. @0 h" x/ l7 Y> right back to the pitcher.
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4 m% F* T  j8 L" Z- w> 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.
>
- d/ F# _! }7 O/ s' N> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
. o2 L" {: y* y> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
6 r5 e: D( ]2 D' U) }0 {> 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,
6 u2 v; @# \5 G- \% x; T) W> wide-eyed and startled.
>
0 D1 J! W5 E- n> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
8 B. l( N# T$ \( I9 c" a> 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
> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
) k% A" H7 Q: G4 |; F) @4 w& O> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
* {" t: }0 ]) ~: Q$ u8 Y' [> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
# C; O+ W7 P, q8 K/ `+ A> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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9 g: S, x& b. L( c% E9 Y7 K> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
: P7 c( N0 ~0 F( a/ E> 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
. r# Z8 |7 f( r% b6 a: L) Y, ?- L> game for his team.
>
! }/ G2 P' D! I: l, B! J, y> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  N+ M7 V5 i. l6 Z; B> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
% }# E9 _5 G$ B. W7 G> into this world'.
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5 X3 K& L' o+ w% }! }> 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
( c1 t; c0 \: c+ W- A> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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5 E: b0 f' s! D# v  N> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
( l7 c7 o( q4 E$ Z4 u> 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
! C& h7 k2 D$ W7 k1 B2 x> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
- \: i3 s& z) H7 t+ K1 p  O: e/ y> 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
9 x% Z$ o3 }. B# l3 `' P> '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
/ b$ f, @; V3 d! m> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
  J! U" x' ]3 {> 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
" [! [" v+ N2 D8 q6 U$ Z7 p9 d> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
3 t3 ~$ f, R; C% x5 ]7 Q( \> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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' l; s' _2 j% Q) p' y5 y# O> May your day, be a Shay Day.