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
> same choice?
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2 G2 o+ y6 R! o# `3 ^& ^> 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
1 Y. U$ m8 Z7 m$ E1 k> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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$ A- U, |; }$ ?0 M$ a> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
! ~+ P4 H" o) [1 v# Y> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 B4 d# K! y, e: `: s, I9 g0 c> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
0 a! ~9 S: w; ~8 c5 ?1 p> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# B/ V9 w4 A9 t( g> 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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> Then he told the following story:
>
; |, D9 e5 E: A+ N" T> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
* j% n+ k9 n1 R2 Y  F2 `/ F3 L  N> 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
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
' M, ]$ X+ P: j0 P! d$ y; z) w> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
1 X- n+ f. w8 ?; j' m6 x- q> 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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! }  ^9 L! n+ P> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
& R; X3 Z& s' w" T4 C> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
( _9 s1 o- ?9 v3 Q  C3 X> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 c' m6 D+ _0 ~3 E6 Q( r> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
: u% f+ E% Y, g& R; t2 a> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 T- T- `5 l0 w7 h8 `- h> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
1 A+ ^+ R. r8 K- u7 y> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
5 {  E: J( y. }! f" C/ [  C> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
& A8 K* ?! D' r> 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,
/ S1 o0 ^6 e4 z& }3 t+ g9 W> 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
8 ^8 e% ]' N, i  x9 G" I: Y> 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
$ x+ R/ E  P6 b  `# y+ h# F  l> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
" c9 R, F( u9 |9 @! H5 g> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
" Y& P% ]& a# W& @, ?; g> 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
" u- o! ?" J) [8 M, w- e> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
! \3 T' @, B0 b* k% T3 m* {> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
" q; s: n' w# x( c; h0 A8 i% f2 D> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( h4 C0 Z  E  S" d5 s> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
/ b$ s- k8 e% m6 R> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
& @- p! K0 i/ z! C$ [; _> wide-eyed and startled.
>
0 s, r9 x5 N9 t7 q8 C> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
, T( i4 P& c6 y- H. ]> 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
% z4 l6 j, \  ]7 l8 t3 v> 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,
, Y4 g! b9 w* g" }, z0 k: C  L- i> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
7 Y8 d( Z9 N9 w> 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'
>
6 S3 [& F0 h  F> 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!
4 e; F5 M" q: l4 A. g7 e1 O1 F" F> Shay, run to third!'
>
3 t* m1 x9 V' @" ^0 M: F> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 ~4 B- q, H3 W) ^. m& \> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
9 [7 F, ~3 K+ P* G# X9 p* P: j> 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,
. B" q) E3 t2 c) W> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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1 f: J' E- w1 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
> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
) F0 i5 r/ i2 M- s% K& ?6 k! n> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% d% A8 D( Q% u+ H8 S> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
3 ~2 P, h4 B9 q& s3 h. `> '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
> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
8 M( a7 p2 i; ]  A+ O1 n' N> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ f7 o# a& ]$ d4 k2 g> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
+ S: [, V  L0 U7 _> You now have two choices:
8 N3 S& {% L4 Y> 1. Delete
$ j( s) j0 i1 m' E- d* M, g+ X3 X> 2. Forward
>
+ Y3 u7 C: E9 W# a& d+ F; M& s> May your day, be a Shay Day.