Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
4 C; _" ?$ `3 J2 Y' G> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
* s) f; ]% P- y& a, L> same choice?
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5 N8 U# e) u+ e' x7 ^% H# z> 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
. g+ \: r. M" B( A/ d" h8 N* }> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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/ t/ s" F7 g+ p! i: G/ l> '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
/ G5 q* w7 a* f" C> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
# g3 Q, \9 I+ S' T5 y! e& f> 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
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>
> 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
& L7 t9 h% o1 ?3 }7 s0 o# z% `> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
( z2 ~9 b% c: c5 [+ ?) H> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
2 f, F! W% [) A" \> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% T, V/ W& K3 _; Y2 f% ^> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
" J; e3 g) D4 w0 x9 i8 w> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
: V- n9 T  e1 \7 w* [( x> 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
" b" v- e! d8 b4 y> inning.'
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+ L) u% x6 l$ j> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
" m* L" m" }8 h7 N" F6 o5 S> 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
# G( T0 e& M4 K, ~. E> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
' U7 i' ~* V( ~8 q7 e> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
5 Q3 m+ v. a0 r8 H1 I$ x> 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
- {' w6 x* ]  E& h0 C> 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
6 a  V! q) w* K( q> 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,
> 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
# l" a" |- T$ t; y+ Z6 j0 P% y> 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.
! ~' q3 }- Q1 O2 {: L9 ~" F> 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
3 h- w, L* E7 S' {3 s9 u1 A) Z> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
$ k& z. d6 S7 ^3 V$ E' Q> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
% Q/ l, u' }. ]3 r# c6 f> 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.
>
$ y" V+ ?$ v# I8 w4 t- l> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
! O1 r  k/ r3 j. q) b0 Y) K> 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
4 q+ n* F0 Z  w! k5 X1 R. M> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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
' j, d* W/ s3 G' n> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
2 v( N, {9 b" y' s5 P. r% N> Shay, run to third!'
>
- d! p& i+ x7 z7 n> 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
1 v/ q4 [" \" e4 f> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
5 U4 Y) x, j) }, X8 r0 F> game for his team.
>
> '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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$ [" o# e6 U- L# C$ }- E  _+ T3 y> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
& v: u3 p6 g: [' J/ [> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
: u, z  n2 V; Y1 v> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
# ~: R' n. z. R" B> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
7 A# j2 |, ?: e5 |$ r/ x> 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
( P& W& k5 Y4 ]6 ~/ c> 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
& r- p1 ^# X' X7 f> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
4 _' s  H/ v: z3 e0 v1 {$ `2 L7 z> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
, G. ?  T" N2 ]& C# f  V' z3 Y> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
6 y* g1 z3 F9 Q7 O$ f' f, T( p> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
. f8 s! G7 R; S& G9 t( n  C> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
# R2 ^. w& O% R, i& R- H) X$ v3 O' H> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
7 O* h* M/ f- ~6 h, j7 W9 M8 B> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
+ _' I, u( A/ w> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 t  y8 U( U' L' H) q> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
7 @) O4 a4 d6 I. t3 k& }$ Y> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.