Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ O" Q8 J0 V, X+ }% Z$ N> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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2 ]+ o4 o' r( l; q! N> 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
6 N; \  f: L. H' I$ S> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> 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
" l9 V( p8 O7 d$ K) m> natural order of things in my son?'
>
. x7 Y* I$ J$ K- m1 j: E> 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
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 [2 }$ C: C& V8 U: V> treat that child.'
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& D- k/ ]  A3 F, G; n- |4 k4 W; b> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
% q+ @0 W2 X( V/ ^> 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
> 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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: K: [2 M  S) w8 {. h* X3 w> 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
* f( v3 A: X8 k' J% K0 y! U' e> inning.'
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> 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
, L6 `$ v% t! x> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 A2 {0 x5 t7 z2 Q4 X0 h> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
' B3 V6 R: K6 k* K> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
. w$ w1 b8 Z9 h0 X> next at bat.
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> 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
! q, W: D# r/ p. B" V> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
+ g' F/ T; d9 ]( _8 k: x5 m/ w> much less connect with the ball.
3 p. L+ J9 `5 f0 s) ], a, L9 ~> 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
9 z8 f. C4 p5 s: F# X/ V> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
! F. n5 p- f% Y/ h: \> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
8 B- O9 W# ?: V> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
8 Z# G6 T7 ~' |/ `5 R( a9 x1 f+ [" u> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
# e2 |- n$ v. y: ?0 z> 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.
>
> 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
! k) l& B! E8 t/ q# z' F> 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.
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( `( Z8 _6 O; v% K> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
, d( {' `: N9 j& ?& |" H& Z> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
& B2 N0 r/ U) f, W/ D> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
( I6 B  [; ]) R. R> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
0 M! s: l! d. K0 P> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
+ U5 _2 ~1 A+ r2 |> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
; S8 J: n5 `# u) M$ F9 y$ U; k: u* c> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
4 x1 ^, n) q/ P! B0 G$ C, ]+ i( [# B3 v0 \> 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'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
' @( a+ [# J, g/ I9 q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
" I. p) \: |" A> 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
: ^7 H# u" c  g+ G3 ~> game for his team.
>
9 [6 {! r0 @4 `8 l> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
# K# d$ ]2 V# q> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
1 W' z2 f1 o9 b; a& |4 k) c: K+ z, R> into this world'.
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% x0 C* m/ m# i2 ?& p- C( P> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ v3 C& F5 G6 {) H- y( r0 j  j> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
6 j0 E$ x8 S1 I( H  I4 A> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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9 j4 J7 U+ h1 k1 O% Q9 I( |- w> 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
> 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
> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
  G; t7 c9 T% d  w> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 L3 q6 v9 Z, T> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
! y* H, y2 e/ r& z5 [> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> 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.
>
$ k6 x, u' I& C+ Q5 n> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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9 L; y1 y) h4 U1 @> May your day, be a Shay Day.