Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) ?  O/ g/ B) q9 D# X> 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:
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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
3 h/ [# U; T* K; b> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
9 J' g+ ]* r) l> natural order of things in my son?'
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# v" [+ {6 L+ e' n  @% W6 }, X' n> The audience was stilled by the query.
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6 ?% V5 {3 t8 e8 }  I> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 N2 U8 ?( q$ u8 u" `% m8 Y> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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3 K  g- g* U* l4 W* X; G+ b> 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
> 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
, A4 l# _/ f( B$ i" F& L> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
+ I. p( e5 g- d2 ]3 F1 N4 y) g> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
  W  v2 Z7 Y/ N> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
- v& r$ I$ I+ Q" {* m; P$ T) U> 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
+ D9 b; g0 }9 J$ o* i' s3 L; p1 C5 z0 S> 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.'
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> 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
  q  h7 y3 Z5 V: u" b$ _> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
) t: M- t4 r: y4 S> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
# @4 D" f7 `, `/ q8 l2 R> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
' W7 W$ ]& G7 E* h8 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
0 Y2 a' ~1 z6 H> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
$ P" j: x* y# e6 U& a( ?7 ?8 q* Y> 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
" C( s9 Q# ~% F> 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
; ^% Z, ?, a" \' ?& y9 X5 C> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
3 r& {1 ^6 a$ P/ o  w& ^: {7 l7 n> 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
! i- U  J( s( K! J+ e0 P> 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.
2 ?3 `8 u  [1 T; A> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
3 B9 ]( ~' E0 u9 n+ `> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
2 s% f- P$ d# \4 p- y7 q> 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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0 _6 [8 M) d1 ]# `  S8 o> 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
> 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,
/ V& ~% j2 s/ P8 ^; h> wide-eyed and startled.
>
1 S1 [5 g8 T5 K" @> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
0 b. ^4 j9 d1 u% M> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% d9 V2 h$ g9 ]: h. f# `> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
" K% T! z2 }6 x9 X  J& J> 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
% ?" E( s" T5 l4 X5 S> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
; B* r8 ~, I: G& C> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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2 d$ Z0 W: o4 c1 g( |> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 q4 k0 _( P8 W> 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
% k' @. v+ J* E2 v8 r! R1 f> 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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7 N. M; \8 \7 M9 u$ j* R0 e( t* B0 y; \> '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'.
>
# G3 \( j, [# h: p1 h) C8 X" 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
5 K( ?' t, M, `8 {. s/ L6 R" i> 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
# ]8 {' J. O2 j; ^& k> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
8 u, N& W. b5 `> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
* z/ i2 E. |. ?" f> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
5 W: @2 Z- h- K. Y+ X; i& }> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
. n7 _. {- E" j- [/ i, ]> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
/ A) i/ z& J8 S> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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" d- }2 N+ D0 |$ O> May your day, be a Shay Day.