Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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0 O4 @2 [, e8 f" B, j" }> 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?
>
> 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
. Q+ q1 v! N* M. P3 D0 @> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
6 V  h, z; \9 t" K1 t& X+ ^# A7 I> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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" j  W$ f* r: Q9 u2 k4 L# ?> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
4 g( C) L2 O, U% c> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
  ^/ }' {# v& r: n# N$ e> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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& O3 C* M' ?1 M' v; P! P> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: q: Y" l' A6 v$ ~; z# a- H, `2 S> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
/ x/ P9 z' [& ^+ r4 T  S; Y3 @> 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,
' V3 Y2 M9 m7 f) Q: g> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
+ Y" x& _+ j5 ]2 ]> 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
5 v4 i8 k! T! |8 y* }> 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.'
>
> 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
5 o7 U3 R3 c8 g% q> 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
. I" h7 W+ t+ E> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
* b# b6 G% b% ~" c2 C> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
6 }! E+ G, Q! \! i- ~: B> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
+ F6 E* v/ J( R3 H+ Z% t$ G> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
2 m3 A) n  S( j* N0 R: g- q> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
9 v8 X5 I$ J/ K4 h* V  t> next at bat.
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- L. P. Z! j1 w1 x' I> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
* E2 T) k0 h( J+ S! S0 z> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
( u/ S2 q; b+ K! \# ]2 f1 o0 w; U> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
1 ]% [" q6 }/ L8 N> 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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1 i, [3 _$ i2 w' A# B+ T5 p2 Q5 d: P> 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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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
, M# [2 F2 W  u5 K> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
! j* S0 O# h4 x% |> 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
> 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
# l) X6 @: C" I8 e' Z> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
2 R7 A6 v# T  Q" U> 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,
1 N$ |! E0 V0 D+ Q> 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
5 j+ s# m  a1 x% U> circled the bases toward home.
>
( @7 N# q# M% |1 x. v  ^( W> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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5 U. W& t8 h- b3 p0 m. ^> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" z. y- n8 f4 f> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
6 s6 Z; @7 ^9 |6 `  F# _> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
+ H  U& [6 o4 [, o. A; W6 W> 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
7 V2 {% y9 l: L7 c> 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
8 O' y; @1 Q( A- c: i2 L> into this world'.
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( S8 @( Z- q$ p  K2 T> 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
) e! f# ~7 p. u$ u% h) u> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
9 o& b: V. X. C$ M> 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
- k2 |4 z  r0 ]* i" N> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
0 ~2 X; I& v2 a! H% V5 S4 o( U> 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
' h' i( v2 B6 T3 w9 f# {' r: F4 z+ T> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
! J, A0 N7 D4 m" p! Y> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
4 v; k, p8 t+ S& `, m6 N> 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
( P5 @" f7 k+ r1 h" N5 s> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
/ W: L. k* Z. y( z8 R. R8 Z> 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?
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5 S  q. D" b. E% j5 C0 U% l> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ e5 B6 c' q4 u. r) a& U> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
% a- F  d6 ]4 U* |+ k% ~> You now have two choices:
: K. z) T+ @/ e2 t4 ^. H  e> 1. Delete
" K/ @2 x4 n5 n5 w* g, x& A1 \> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.