Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
! F  }3 {1 |: ]) M- F. q0 k> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 \; u, v5 Z4 }  g3 ]> 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,
  D7 U7 h9 c  ?# V5 J> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
8 ?: b2 N+ Q/ m- F% _$ t# z1 \> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
& K6 `% j  b0 h9 U- {. q+ j* c# F> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 N9 ~, G  j' }! s: W: v- a> 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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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 r- J5 L$ w5 }) t( e6 @> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
6 @5 |  Z" [3 s0 m( u+ u" S7 W$ g>
> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' w4 Q& Q5 [  ?( s> 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
0 f. g$ g' Z  j8 B> 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
: D- i+ r9 B$ e> 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
+ v  K9 M8 y0 h$ V. u6 n> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
) j5 {) [* e' F> inning.'
3 L* k' Z: o. o>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. H" ]9 g- V0 m7 k' d- Q> 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
> 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
( S& l: @, H4 j# c. ^# [> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
9 ?: Q1 j$ X) p. {1 t% N3 g& O- s> 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
/ V$ {. E0 E+ r7 o) X> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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* w& J" f0 ~) P# l5 m5 \> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. s5 z9 I% r/ U: V  R: H/ G1 m> 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,
8 L( l: c6 ~- V2 h> much less connect with the ball.
" |  F9 b; q4 _# T( I' G; y% |> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
0 I* k9 N0 V4 X  y> 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
: B. P  m; U+ E> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
> 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.
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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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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4 ?! [7 M$ q- ^, A0 Z7 {> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
. V" q. [: |3 V3 h8 k> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
& R- F$ m/ z" q% O> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
) Y- D7 F1 T3 j$ Z> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
0 H% |& }2 `$ u* y. Q" s! @> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; c$ n3 n( I7 i> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
3 t) f- Y9 n& ]% ~> 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,
3 k# X* t; N, B# ~  l3 \7 f; x! h> 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 N9 N7 x- q( H" o6 m> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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& C' I( f5 ]+ K1 D" c) h+ b> 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 P) T9 b) A# l$ L> Shay, run to third!'
) [( _, t+ g! ^6 P! {! z# C>
> 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
! X' Y; C4 Z& J, `5 C+ W$ F> game for his team.
>
' \0 Y/ i1 D. w3 m( p> '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
> into this world'.
% t# Y) \5 D% _4 a+ F" }>
: M4 d" ^. q. @* v> 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
( Q) \0 ?; D3 q& h> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
' \. i3 ^9 S1 c6 }$ k, b> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
# E) c: E" s+ J) A% I> 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
- ^- G- m& P$ ~4 A6 O6 s. J2 r> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
$ Z( T8 p* _6 @0 T. u& }! ]% ]: Z> 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
> 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
5 n% H" K% B* g) Z  C6 l0 i# ?# J> bit colder in the process?
7 W2 ?9 a* s2 g) p>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% L: J. [* g) H9 e> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.