Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ S+ M. |& I, J> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
/ N4 a6 C+ ]6 s> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
1 y  j$ O! }- F> 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
+ W" r1 G, o* x! l9 j9 t> staff, he offered a question:
>
, u3 j3 b8 W( z7 |2 @> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
* ?4 r9 s( e7 u# m. d> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
/ X% C# X$ y# V" c> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
/ m; @) |/ |; t2 ~2 y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
9 |1 u$ t# J! B0 _0 _( G* }> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 }* n4 z) n+ X; M9 b> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
0 @2 M# O" b9 i$ L: _2 e> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
: D( s9 x* w6 Q1 v8 B> 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
> 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
+ D- F+ `! {: m* _2 h> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ L8 Q3 Z0 F. n: }: t: G8 ?> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
4 K8 v1 d* y1 q! ~> 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
6 k- Z! d6 F5 ]( Q( V. V> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
+ m. ~2 p2 t4 x# m* S' r" V> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
% ~+ I$ w" [( f) B- m$ M> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
4 W9 Z! M1 j( D6 o1 [& [0 x" M5 n( y> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
  z3 K4 Q/ x: z6 H8 S; p! Q> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
: }5 c- L2 e* h> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: m$ k. U8 K0 O/ z' 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
) z+ q' V' c; q8 C3 e> 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
; a. `; j1 O# o6 g9 O% @7 A> right back to the pitcher.
>
) C- ?( x7 o3 E% F# S* p" S% B2 D> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
% u# W3 e8 W2 m2 ]> 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.
>
6 x5 D8 ~( [6 {8 \> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
' Q- x  Q) o2 R" ]9 h$ n> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ |6 g0 g- x, e, d0 k6 D3 C> 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,
# m  J0 x# y2 l# |, f/ W3 T> wide-eyed and startled.
8 Y- |1 H) f- f; S>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
& k  _5 U; F$ p" r% j> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
8 n  u0 J, m1 G6 Q+ {7 s$ z> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
! S4 R, ~  B9 H. H' P: L> 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
1 B1 }# U0 t5 j7 n  f$ L* X> 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
# A5 x. e; u* `& k> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
. o5 y" A, M5 T6 L5 u# n+ p3 d5 n> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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- _, B" @& o7 j2 c$ p$ s$ n* N> 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!
% l; g2 y2 q" x2 n/ U1 Z$ j> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
% [: c5 z( }+ [> 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.
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> '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'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 y# ~$ o8 g' ?$ J4 }' v> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
) ?7 m8 a! H* y" h, O> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
! u) e0 o1 w; U+ O4 n9 ~+ Q" P, L> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
; f' s+ W" q* M9 z- ~* |% X. ~2 h0 Y4 \> 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
8 p1 W4 A5 t% L$ v: g2 c6 H> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
5 M& W) X( L. U& e2 D) Z% ?0 _> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 ^4 T0 v2 C, N> 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
0 h6 ~0 n% l) {7 Q% Z> 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
$ c) U! D* n6 C8 f9 L> bit colder in the process?
>
2 m5 E) P$ K8 Q4 u( o> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
6 ?+ x/ m  g! h- p' p>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.