Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
) a0 U6 d) k. G* g* P$ F> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ G5 o% J+ Q, T, n2 i> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> 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
! W+ _: P9 M* D- `8 r" e2 {1 A! u> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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% X2 E4 W5 G9 j> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
# I" `' k# P+ R& [" E( G> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
4 @. K4 j# \3 C3 _+ U" T" R3 `  X+ x>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
2 _: J' v3 r+ \" V$ B>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
" }0 B8 j/ o8 X) S, a5 M> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
0 F. a& @2 M6 X) }: X> treat that child.'
3 C* s2 v" b/ M& b7 R: U>
5 d5 \9 ]7 C2 P> Then he told the following story:
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1 u7 I$ K: w# H" x- }# \> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) y( n5 M+ H, x# T" q/ x- h> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
, T: {; {! x: D5 |( q% a5 ~> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
6 I. l7 p/ @: l7 B! \. q> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
7 ?3 I2 H7 j0 s, S" b8 M> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
1 L0 J$ y$ f- o( ?4 t> 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
0 j/ k% F- N3 B* m* }8 G) C> inning.'
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5 U% ^" |% S& _) S5 s* k: z> 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
$ c  j1 t7 P; W' N, ]- B. X> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
5 W: o5 ^6 o0 U" ?0 j5 P> 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
3 _7 C  A  G( J6 K> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
4 K* q$ N% U- N9 V> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
  ^3 o% G3 B7 N% }> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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9 I$ p: K8 u# f- f' v% \+ f> 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
/ S6 A% ^- J  g! Y* q6 C) n> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
4 h6 v) M8 n: a- i. Z9 o> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 L0 S' q  G9 L- ?6 a  f> 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
$ O' X- z/ ^  A) U! U> 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
' B+ t7 _1 V1 C/ ]" a, U* ?> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& w2 ]+ A0 `5 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
' T% Y2 N. r! `> 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,
# A8 c( Q  s# R4 C: z. w4 {9 J> wide-eyed and startled.
>
5 _5 j/ r! H& S' l) ]; i% O$ V- Z> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
6 N# H) _, r# `> 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
  G# k+ ^1 ~5 K* _2 Q> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
1 ]. s+ o% r7 X3 Q* ?> 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,
7 P2 @, B! e2 V> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
7 d1 y( N! |" d% A# @, f5 q; O> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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( p' ~( m; N9 `: 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
- ^  }, D1 G* T* ~% l' x$ n& v> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# W; R' C4 h" |1 O6 y# ^+ b> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
6 d. J% u/ H% O* e9 x2 {> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
' r( s- f% \' J# D% }> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
4 c. O9 G6 a& |* D) [, E- T8 V* e> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
( C" o9 N0 B3 K> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
- D8 |8 |# Y3 i6 \. _$ y> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
; s9 h& F; w* e) y  ]/ ~6 b> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> 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
' A; m4 |; w  s5 M% R5 N> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
& W  W7 C) U: o' D, q> 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
7 K1 Q" R! k$ ]  o> 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
3 @1 `/ `- O; H> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
! d  ~1 O% `0 _> bit colder in the process?
>
9 h% c( A# i9 N8 G+ \> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.