Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% Z+ j: S) d+ f+ D$ q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> 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
5 w6 W& n. `/ H7 `  h0 u0 U8 e> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
+ |1 i8 a2 L% a% {> '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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6 x& k, T$ j5 M. ^2 [( d> 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
1 K5 d  Z  z$ i% b$ L2 F. @+ N" I2 X> treat that child.'
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5 R2 D- O( W9 U> 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
7 |$ }0 X+ v# k> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
) @  d9 i/ _  x. d2 Z> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
5 v6 _3 B/ Z; E& ]' E> 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.
>
- D7 _& q- g# R4 q$ R5 X> 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
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
  I' A* _3 |0 V, k5 L' [> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
  J+ z. U9 |6 X. ]9 b  ?$ A8 A6 K> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
$ U. h6 A: M* ^2 L( h1 w> 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
1 f/ }& s8 G% T& X> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
: r( }( Z  A4 k7 E( |5 E2 f> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
$ f8 ?" a4 y9 {$ k  ?. _% R> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
6 O# K6 P& N/ e; X8 q6 s> 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
> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
$ \/ G! H& `  s1 d% K# g> 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
1 O1 D+ }. ^/ G/ \) y9 ?1 m> 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.
>
4 y  {' y+ b& T5 x> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 b2 B' X: s4 c2 k/ L> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
( A; t, X+ O7 m1 P2 S> 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
> 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,
8 _, b; w1 e, j6 Y% z+ `# c  j> wide-eyed and startled.
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5 @* P( s9 s! M8 U2 p- ~- T> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
2 j1 W& V$ Z9 \2 }) A+ }7 ~* u> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
5 Q/ }( v' ^/ s9 V0 C> 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
& N* n2 r0 j9 m9 f0 p> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
% N: v' w/ Y9 G) X% I4 x) s+ a( A> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
4 x( T+ ?/ s0 `5 _3 _+ J> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
% P- k+ o4 \) ~6 v$ i! Q0 s# m, E> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
% a. P0 J, G6 p* h> Shay, run to third!'
>
2 Z6 H; l8 t0 _6 Z6 T( \5 ^; w. e> 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
% n% W7 f- o; z3 s/ Y% K, v% g4 U3 X> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
' O- Q6 z) }, d! X3 v- R5 {9 \& }> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
& M. e2 o) m1 b7 S* 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
1 l/ k* u( J2 W6 n& B* f9 q& D> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  d4 I# h. A) p  x2 M> 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
0 p; ]5 ?+ g5 ]8 ]: Q$ J# L> 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
> 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
: o3 h: N# V* e> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
) c' S9 W$ F' |- Z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
) M) C0 h) ~, T2 s% W) a> 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
$ \2 X5 C% p, b> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ l* \4 |  i; R9 h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
9 i" T+ r/ w  I- L; T; V# J9 G' f> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.