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
& a0 v  f$ H& ?+ q5 c1 s8 D> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# s( X& a( |! k> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
2 w; Z/ \5 U( P- c> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
6 r1 @" T& n, A5 ?> '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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5 C7 V6 R% _( p6 n$ Z+ g, [$ K8 G" B> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 C' u" a% i2 t; s> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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# c; z+ f' W5 U3 D6 p) F> 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
8 C( e+ z( i, g& c9 z  N> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
+ f" V# r$ @# ?$ ~, g: `& @> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
6 U, I6 g( f* C8 `( ^> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
. A1 {: r, o% b> 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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> 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
; c" Y' L( i1 w% Z, B: N> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
* P* V, q2 t: Z# B# p6 [) b% B> 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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; u2 U# m( @1 N  Q> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
1 s% I; @' D5 K5 _, Q+ o> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
: o' i0 h; z/ ]% v4 C, ~- |> 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
3 o, e3 U1 d7 w) h> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
) ]6 e3 K7 L. U2 ?5 {1 _> 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
7 x! q4 Z% R" r> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
7 T; I* A3 Q: `4 q> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
2 `8 M" P, C" C/ J3 |> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 Q2 m8 p. t0 t0 a5 a4 a> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
# D/ q- q/ X' s0 k1 ?- h" E5 R> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
: n7 A8 v5 k1 v/ Y> 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.
8 p" p' _( H% ?. }& T> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
* R* w( `# U' U, n6 N7 O$ S> right back to the pitcher.
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5 q" ]) h1 m4 f  b0 F; A4 _> 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
2 R# Z$ O. f' C& A; {3 R/ g> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
! Q' s$ i8 I" D+ Y0 `> 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
3 {/ v; q% n/ j# ]2 |> 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,
9 e' O- n. l7 t; p- _6 `' H$ R) N> wide-eyed and startled.
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0 J5 P6 Z! v+ b! U5 F0 R7 Q> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
5 h: [. T. K% {% Q* }+ R/ z> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
0 p' S* @1 W: U> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
9 j: H. ^# l+ F$ K' _> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
' a0 n  m$ k& K+ u. w) `> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
$ Z( c* @7 i, o( \: Y5 h% [, ^> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
" Q  \: Q. t, c! F> circled the bases toward home.
>
1 H. l2 d5 D$ O1 e1 g# h1 o> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
  R" ]) ~0 u3 j! o7 G: x  U> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
1 d" O0 T  Q1 k3 t5 p7 @> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
$ l, M) Y. r  G7 f5 B& c- B> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
/ i: Y4 F: C, X  o; [' B> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 j$ y5 @! _7 e> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
7 I8 r. A/ ]+ v; T; c: ]) r  b> into this world'.
>
. X) h7 C* f; P1 U> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
$ c5 s7 q0 a5 P. Q. O" [> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
9 L7 ?& Q- p2 |4 {% j2 X" |9 ^/ K7 r> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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; R* I( Q8 w% L: i0 s! H6 G> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
; x2 P+ W6 e/ D6 o  z3 `> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
6 J# f1 Z5 }) }  [: G/ g, t8 g& t+ G' k> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
4 r6 V* f5 v; F8 ?  F> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
* t; d* N9 J/ E> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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8 A7 r: N3 `3 e" Y> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ L+ Z! Y" j" [, p! }; Y6 u# \, T& ^( }> 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
- q7 U8 I. N* }# {9 S+ ?. @> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
6 u4 Z3 ~8 v( D0 l# y( v> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
( R+ ^9 ], r$ Y" l- ?+ u8 A> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
, c! N# ?: e& [> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
. r3 Y* b  m) v& C3 C: p> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
1 D% C% w3 ^7 n$ G1 z> 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.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
  E# ~. m; Y8 ^- Q7 O> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.