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
: G8 n1 \5 ~; m- ~# O/ M> same choice?
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! c) ]; s' c5 b6 H7 z& Y> 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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; W! G" F: E0 K/ F> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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: b9 y9 L# n" b  j: s: \. l> 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
+ R; Y- ]; b# q7 C> treat that child.'
>
- o- Z" `( h7 [0 l8 \6 M> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
/ W$ t! U$ f) c% ]> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
; n9 ?  J8 u# m3 W> 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
> 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
2 y( ?- [7 s0 K7 q> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
& u( p, t6 z: a/ o> 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
& ~' Z6 d7 K* p' G/ M> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
! @5 Z0 [/ C6 p> 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
& B0 Z, S- Z1 |9 j4 @8 V> 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
8 M9 |  j4 u0 p2 ?' U% X2 s> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
  z3 T0 f4 f" ?6 N/ 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
0 o+ H1 e, J: H' t% S5 G0 s0 T> next at bat.
>
8 ~, ~0 m% B" u) l> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
9 i" Z% g, M" D4 a> 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,
$ r7 M. Y+ ]/ a3 |  t5 \> much less connect with the ball.
! f9 _5 u5 q" X+ x" h1 _1 o% r5 ~> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
" I1 ~3 C  {: d" V$ A6 E- @# n> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
/ n0 j4 J8 P" H4 b4 F> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
5 S6 Z1 h' E7 t# b> 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.
3 L" X' F: v% e# f> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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.
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  ~+ O( ]4 z* F1 l# H6 t7 A> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* G9 X- ]# |! [9 E/ B8 H4 d# G> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" e$ L+ L; I+ u5 |% x' D( b3 J! d> 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  w6 I; k- _$ [+ [4 N> 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
* z0 O% R) F1 F$ ^> 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
> 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!
; n# i8 g$ z1 l1 Z+ v5 ~2 ~0 }> Shay, run to third!'
>
6 J, r3 Y" b4 u: U+ I- o> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 }8 |: {  t9 r8 s> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> 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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/ o4 ^2 U, L! m1 V+ X0 x> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
+ g( Y' t+ O/ Y% z% ~, p: x" L> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
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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
> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
> 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
& ]# w4 P) F+ R. B> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
6 [1 V# l8 j+ G, x: J& {& f- e> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
) P- ?) @' z' M- |5 x3 {6 Y5 h& s> 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?
>
+ D6 X/ s) ]' F2 B' ]: k; B) a- E> A wise man once said every society is judged by
  R8 U: e$ V& d( H7 a: Q; r) l" L# [> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.