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
> same choice?
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" J* i+ ]1 a& h8 o7 P* _> 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
: E  }5 v! x2 b1 L4 M& G6 H> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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1 L. ]. [7 s, C( h> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
: P. u# A" }( o4 a  v) c> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
0 I6 p. V" R  m' e; j8 {1 R8 z> natural order of things in my son?'
>
# ]# v6 L/ C$ Z2 X! X7 e" k> The audience was stilled by the query.
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+ H. C: S6 L4 e5 R/ F> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
$ [2 r4 ]7 w/ `) h> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  h! y& H4 |/ h& B: G' J7 d' f> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
+ }+ p% \9 k2 m+ v6 T6 v5 \2 o> treat that child.'
>
- X" g6 q0 Q2 H- t* S$ ^> Then he told the following story:
>
& }# O+ L& }8 G# ^5 D> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
, [% K4 B; U) F; B2 A) ^+ i> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
$ r: H! j4 T9 X% w; e> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
5 @* T- O5 J2 q/ E- @: K> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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) E, l* F) P( d1 w& X* C> 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
, @) _2 u9 F: S! I$ s) N  [> 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
" G6 L9 _( t+ D# r1 {  d( F> 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
' e; |, G* c" I4 R. N4 s> 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
! R; y3 F6 `$ b6 }3 M' _> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
' ~& L' o4 Z. }# t* X3 q8 T> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
3 P5 K/ _$ \& Y1 M# t> 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
: Y4 ^9 M5 ?4 C6 I. |7 i# Q  u, J> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 n5 C2 z! S3 ?; U0 [9 W4 l> 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.
  I2 e( l/ J4 ^$ g' Z# h> 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
# f% h6 K1 W6 z8 |) S# E" V8 d> 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
; m  X" }" d6 C9 u& D2 M> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
& Y6 S7 w; R& |7 d> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
4 E% O0 R. p5 M; p7 f  q  k+ g5 z' w> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
+ q3 _- F9 X/ F5 D# U9 W> 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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+ |4 N/ w5 v  H0 g9 Q. m, @> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
4 t- a8 O7 H* j> 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,
/ x# n; ^/ l* a, x> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* L/ u8 v' X2 G" H> 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
; a* M8 C6 D' W6 t8 H6 v> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
0 ^" p0 S9 Q# k9 G9 o9 v> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
0 ]0 e% a( ^' g! q0 R  F- y0 b6 `. p  _> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
9 x" a$ P. F  y1 F> 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
7 Q' `8 B" v0 d& G9 D& P( |0 p: W> 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
3 O4 p. `8 f, Y. a# \> 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
: u; |5 c$ _6 \( |> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
2 V0 m0 @3 }( ]# Z' K> 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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> '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'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
( p5 \2 W3 ?$ I! @; _, F> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
$ R7 f5 r. w: N; e> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
9 y2 F: z# ?7 r! d9 b# f: {+ `> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
" e/ _, G9 U- Z" [# b" j) [9 b> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
1 A1 K3 Y( d% p% S6 J1 v1 e> 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
, G6 y3 }7 @* T> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
8 e: ~5 v! u4 A8 o+ H6 I, N7 j9 o9 _> 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
. U: h2 T+ e1 m" X: g$ y1 L> bit colder in the process?
>
' ]% c1 @  k0 a> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
( S; O  `& ~- m% V> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
# P5 M6 p! V- S7 \> May your day, be a Shay Day.