Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: V6 e& f  Q1 e, T% e5 P! S2 l6 f> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
- x* O2 E0 ~3 P> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
2 }8 u1 f- h* n% g! V% T5 h0 T> 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:
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> '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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$ T7 d( p: N- [  u0 C; w> The audience was stilled by the query.
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, M5 X  ~3 V) I6 _( [. ~' Q: b> 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
> treat that child.'
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7 P4 b1 Q# y) z2 `. ~- r" Q' h( F( v; H, }> Then he told the following story:
>
0 f( \# [( ?+ V; ]/ L> 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
$ E6 M0 \- Q) K> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
' |$ a" o/ s3 p, U; |4 g4 P> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
' r& T, [- x& N4 n7 E> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
* d9 ]9 y$ l2 _> 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
; x2 ]2 r/ d3 {; J- Z8 O> inning.'
>
; g" I! L% q6 x6 Q; E( V> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 l: r7 i0 A. Q2 E> 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
1 r% c+ m' J3 l. Z% S4 h1 R+ z, ?> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 H& q* H; s5 s+ g> 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
1 A+ T: [, B7 |" u: f- U- j> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
# {# Z# x0 i! ?* k% i1 w  p" H/ U> 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
; H( V) Q& |# L" s% |> 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
* b( c( u! X! o' h: p: k; r" l> 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
, b6 G; P4 I" z& n7 V- \  R6 }> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* ]% }/ U5 m+ P> 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,
> 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
/ [# S- C) A/ Z- H> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
7 a) k' s* z1 U( }7 T) b. F> 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 Q/ U, b; Q4 s> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
8 m5 a& H5 [- V0 m. m9 K> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
$ i! |1 C$ ~, g- c> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 w1 [7 I+ h7 e4 [> circled the bases toward home.
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3 m* A, s5 P/ ?+ N5 s' a9 m> 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
$ g4 \- G9 @+ q& P, g4 K. n2 H> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> 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
3 P+ J) `! X: u: S* ?% Z7 x> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
7 ~7 z9 Z/ _2 c0 y' `" L3 L> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
# }' ?) j1 J1 K, G# G> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
: e" [1 @' v3 Q# E8 d! \5 f> 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
3 T9 l) j, {4 T2 L> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
' v9 k/ V2 S% N- ?- S6 R> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
; W3 s7 u$ |, Q- U> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
' e3 M' ^  s+ f, B" g+ T7 I> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
2 Z+ q+ i) |; U7 F! O+ @> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
7 d7 ^- M" y8 N& G, T> '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
1 i3 D* c3 t) \> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
$ B9 U* v. z4 Y7 m0 F8 m+ |' v> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
) Y, T- H* E) f4 \> 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
. i7 m* k7 o# ~5 Q$ b, d. z7 l> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# @# V6 c6 Y# v) v5 T0 \> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
' ^+ Z& }4 w) n9 n> You now have two choices:
' V9 [4 g& K; M/ u> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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8 f8 ^( H3 z3 _* K# P/ X> May your day, be a Shay Day.