Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
# n6 ~5 l/ x, W/ c5 n0 y> 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
> 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
3 w2 _; {& l. @* K, h; O: \> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
5 f1 G9 }9 b+ l> natural order of things in my son?'
3 v+ Y) d( I  X. u" ]>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
. M9 F2 l+ A6 J6 `> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
( i) ]$ Q3 ^4 ~+ E8 L> treat that child.'
>
8 Z+ _% e) ^6 L4 j: T% i  V> Then he told the following story:
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$ K! p% u$ M; u. y7 {; t7 f> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
( P+ O9 i- X$ A5 U! ]# t" F" |# v> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
. X; H7 F2 u8 l> 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,
$ z, a1 J' O. R9 g' [7 F, W: Z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& L. {5 |" \1 [: [  Y" f3 w4 D> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
+ s5 t2 D$ b% F4 Q! O> 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( H& K" Y0 v8 O  Q' r> inning.'
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, t) }; ~3 J2 j7 q) h+ |4 y> 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
. B9 @0 B! w& F! D( l: u' p* r  y> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
' w% b7 l  a- O' R3 C' @. _> 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
& c+ [' i: ?4 p2 t/ T+ K& \& A> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
- N0 g5 @6 W2 S1 i3 c> 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
+ ?  y' \4 Q# s: i" L% q; x5 H> next at bat.
>
' q6 Z% n% x- a6 _; |' ]> 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
/ k# f' D7 w. _; b- t/ a> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
, C4 Z' {/ I3 D# ^6 z# S> 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
, [5 v3 N+ ]9 W& B4 `> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
4 a1 y9 ~1 _/ E6 e$ r> 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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# a& g& o* @* S9 ^. h: j, X4 {' V/ ]> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
) A% N; V% O: q; k, ?% x9 f  |: x> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
9 r# V- [5 Y, v> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
% [9 M. m2 |* i. X' I: H> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
/ v" J) F4 @& ]  ^1 p8 N5 |> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
' @& W( j) m/ x' l* ~8 A1 E> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
# M/ Y2 R, ^& g$ b' f> 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,
> 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
! b: x1 \7 t9 J2 E6 S4 ]  H> circled the bases toward home.
>
8 T' \  S6 @/ t+ T) \$ a. S4 a# L> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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5 @* j  |$ ?1 W8 y# s2 F, W> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
& @5 W, W! r: O( v( H> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
: y/ D) C$ _! E! j! |> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
! V( z: T/ e* r2 ~7 x& }' T> '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
" f7 e" p3 V/ }1 z' D9 z8 P> into this world'.
>
> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
/ v* i/ E  h6 e. {" Z> 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.
>
$ ^0 B5 H  N, b) g( D> 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
5 \2 l5 E& }" U> 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
9 c+ L6 \! d/ C5 S> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" ]+ m) K( p; J0 M> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
' X* w$ G, _, v, q5 p> 1. Delete
; d) w$ A; n: N6 G> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.