Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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+ Z+ M' U2 L$ I$ i2 e> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
4 R. M. m9 J/ B  s/ p>
9 _/ X; D: ]1 k) E6 C/ T> 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
0 F5 x6 |4 m* c> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
+ \3 L  L2 S8 M" t7 S3 Z> staff, he offered a question:
>
. H  N1 X% X" K7 z) x3 b" S2 ?) y> '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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4 V" j1 Q* t" L. w- u; _% E> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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
( }$ Q) i$ z/ A+ P> treat that child.'
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2 i$ V6 W/ d3 E) Z8 a> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
2 g6 W( S6 H, V3 d4 F! L/ C1 ?1 c) V> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
. s4 J/ b; G. h( N/ |; E( g! w> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
& s4 z; G( u) N4 s7 O> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
; }; Q/ p0 I8 Z7 u1 c> 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
/ g: y; L+ V' |> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
% t0 b& {- U3 k/ j3 L: o7 v> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- V* z  Z& k2 c. ^> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
4 N) A" o- D% Z* x4 ~! z, _' R# z> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
4 F, C# N  f0 m1 d; ?- [> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
; o- a4 x/ Y1 r8 ^> 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
  p4 M7 e: i3 J$ L- q  o7 i" V> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
( ]* V, `- V# m' O- d> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
" d' w: s9 G% Z> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
# e$ D; n1 h, ?5 C; c- N- c> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
& ]. D9 E4 @5 L7 f> next at bat.
>
> 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,
  s( x4 T6 R  F$ g2 a/ O> 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
* }  [$ Y% S& L: K% w/ L8 h> 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
5 R- P3 G3 r% @% L/ D+ X5 t) w> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 M% s) `8 w6 U( u5 E# y> 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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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; n7 N3 a$ K3 A/ y8 X' @' [> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
! X$ I5 s4 P# U/ f, _! d$ M# s$ 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,
, u6 R  S! C! L7 Y> wide-eyed and startled.
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1 f1 q( l( F' w' @% \> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% ~3 y, W; t1 G% Y0 C$ F6 g0 C> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
* _8 w: c* U1 n  S& Y> 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
$ Q, E% m' c* G# @7 ~1 b1 }! Q> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
' {/ ^! v* b! p4 P1 }7 ^/ W/ C0 @4 O# I> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( U: f* G, z6 ^  g4 X& N* V> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
# Y4 A# ]4 U  e) x1 u' ?> 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
# m! M7 N3 M$ s8 }> 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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, {' k3 l# |, x> '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
5 t3 R* t4 I3 K> into this world'.
>
" j3 T( j5 J) Q  b! i7 k> 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
) U' p( b) u9 L& y9 v; W4 Z2 g" @> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
+ F0 L0 T# t! A! P# \0 x2 _> 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
4 M: s0 Q: F, `! O+ U) o> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
5 k% l" d- Y4 s( t7 S2 ~> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
+ \) Z3 Q( E& V+ p4 B>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
1 k% `% j4 E3 K+ c> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
$ q# i5 d1 t2 }  P: a8 ?+ f> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
2 n- y0 j5 B. u' Y0 X> 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
( ?* m2 f- \' {8 e0 l> 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
  R6 |' G1 P- g4 [+ G( R> bit colder in the process?
>
8 e& L% a8 J& E/ z* k5 P( d> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
8 l! D$ M$ D( A. b0 P6 J> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.