Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
+ Q0 J, L; e  S" ~* |> same choice?
>
& U/ C" a  p% m! K> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
, G8 T$ d2 I6 _( ]> 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
  F4 V! P& C/ e5 r2 ^$ [. X! J> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
" w$ W  A0 c2 w4 j) y7 r  p% C> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
9 \& }. ~% s/ _7 n( ^) g; [> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
5 c: n% t2 q" p> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
3 I2 f6 e9 m+ k" G+ A( Q> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
2 ?( u# Q3 f7 H- S- Z' h# e> 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
' P# j) I& s# |. V0 K& z9 z7 B> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
+ A0 {; |) w* Y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
" ~5 d1 z" @  V- c- m; }+ o' G> 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
' b  U% ~0 f. l, D) ^9 ?2 L4 i3 m> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
9 E% ]4 `0 z* ^3 {# p> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
* Y3 b# Q1 k$ @  x) ?/ H2 v7 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
, ~' Y! o8 s- q; j2 E: |$ E> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
) k$ b* r& ^5 i" O> 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
> 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
: ~  C: J% J- o5 T6 L> 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
> 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,
8 M% b2 g5 p% R. g* U> much less connect with the ball.
/ K# x2 n+ e/ z0 W> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
# k, o. B; V5 m  a. R> 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
> 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.
$ D+ W$ n& R! L; w# U> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
* Z* s5 q  X: x> right back to the pitcher.
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# @- O; Z0 S, W1 ?! N> 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.
>
6 p2 s+ L" g! N' X> 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
) j% k5 _+ E- v3 X% o3 o0 ^. l> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
' S& p) R, O( J. _# L. s! J% e; \* Y' Q> wide-eyed and startled.
>
2 y6 v4 V8 F4 O4 Z3 s> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
9 e$ W/ U0 L- F! @) n> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. @* ]1 A( d. A> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; Z, M+ k2 T. f& l> 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
> 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
+ l) d5 m* s, y) o. }% l> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
. l- Z0 R7 ~& ~7 R3 Y> Shay, run to third!'
>
! N6 V+ m/ b0 \" L# Y3 Z# [! x, `> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
! t3 t/ x7 n. X0 A, g: b> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
; |& F2 o# \: S6 a, {0 h/ `1 B9 O> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
3 r' Z( X/ A& _* x6 |6 n> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ b2 n# v6 Y# _1 C- y. e> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> 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
6 O; r$ J, X% t8 b" @* Z* [+ A> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
/ Z2 }2 K. {& k' Q9 k/ _9 C> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
# E: d& H  @; ]; x+ |  |% e> 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
3 v( v- Y* k" `; z$ f7 Z> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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$ K. H( V$ `8 Q7 i5 o> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; S. @6 O' N8 w0 H0 P# `$ ^# t> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
7 c9 B0 s& Z  x7 a9 S% I> '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
8 d- h& i2 g. M6 b% R" i4 P* O) p+ N> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
" _1 c$ @8 f% I> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
( M! p3 N6 j0 a& p> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
' f/ [( S, T" @- W& _) ^5 L2 v>
> You now have two choices:
) a0 W5 |" ~: a, b: m" Q+ E> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
% {( d$ m( ^& @> May your day, be a Shay Day.