Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 [0 w8 V" Y3 s1 d, j$ Y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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; f% k% x. |5 r! ?> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" k: |( N+ E* Q> 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
> 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
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
2 M& x# x: A  m> natural order of things in my son?'
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2 i, x6 k4 R& |7 u> 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
+ v# u) I- {: _; V* c% \/ N8 U> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
5 G8 [/ u3 i1 B5 X7 j- d7 s> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
8 S+ M4 s+ G  i" ~1 r7 S* r+ P> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
2 K! |* w& H0 `) i/ {/ b) a& d8 ^> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
2 ^, Y' F5 s2 M" h; b% h> 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,
, w3 \% _- @) F: h> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
# Y2 v9 M' Z- L  J> 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
( U/ E  B6 F/ M' N2 r( W3 D* ~! ~0 e> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
4 B& |; u" {* U" ]. U> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
5 C  {! g8 h$ |8 ?. ]$ |> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
# p" _/ y" F: A6 b  i> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
* {9 A& k% r* I> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
# s6 {; ^3 `3 P+ h8 A  K$ q> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
1 F; S. I; F& T" K> 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
> 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
- y  |" ^6 [- ~: }% p1 a, m" W> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
% V4 w# t% }+ X2 x& r> next at bat.
>
% b8 H: V  e: p/ C# j. j- C> 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
5 g7 x$ c. P4 e, b> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
4 Y$ q( v- l( e  d- _1 L> much less connect with the ball.
" {9 y/ S4 i3 a; d) m> 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
" _) |( P. T2 r/ y# v) W, K3 o> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
4 h& ?, q. N0 G- ?, z> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
8 H9 H! d. B! k> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
- y! J$ y! W, r$ G9 [( ?> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
5 n+ N' t/ a) J6 B  c- T5 l( c> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
1 [3 v7 K* s8 x7 M> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
- D  `4 ?+ }9 m& k/ @* X- |8 k4 x$ R> 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,
1 c7 d# f: g4 w. w" v3 p% A- |> wide-eyed and startled.
>
! d8 u& V0 T" B7 z& N! 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
6 E5 k, s( M2 h. g; [* E. f' H# X> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
4 h9 n3 v- N- ?- A> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
/ X! ?4 B# e$ Z4 Z# i* j/ p> circled the bases toward home.
>
* G+ C9 O; d6 Q& k, j& T4 a> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
1 b; a' M0 G$ P1 m$ s> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
$ @% ~' f( O9 P+ T+ J. x> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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.
>
2 c7 H7 N; f; l; N3 V! {& c> '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
6 L' C* V5 F- y& N6 o4 d8 \8 o> 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
> 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
  ~- c2 W9 }8 `# t: m0 Q" e> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
$ d% E2 A) X) b  ?6 B$ \  u> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
. t, q! S/ y" H6 Q$ `* g> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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. [: c3 w6 \% P9 D: n> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
4 q- E& |  }; I. [> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 c! c& C0 |1 K! E> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
% d& }; g3 P9 d> 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
* k1 |# Y& }4 m' \) w> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
: {1 s9 V  ~% d; H3 r) u> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
7 I7 N. r% E! m, n> 1. Delete
8 ~/ D$ s$ |. C# s2 u( D$ z' P# i> 2. Forward
>
% s0 G( T. H3 O$ p9 D& N& R! @> May your day, be a Shay Day.