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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> 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
5 R. [- p1 E8 }8 d) q> 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
/ x% ^) T* Z/ d- `- V( Z> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
- P7 n9 q  N5 a1 G/ `, V$ H> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
( a! }  [* [1 N7 G> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ Z7 b' ^5 ^, D# R> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
; m+ ^" @2 `  r$ e: v> 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,
> 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
> 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
  ^2 j0 ^1 I- {2 V" g> inning.'
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, F6 x: Y- M5 G0 }8 \> 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
3 T! r( p  l: d* g0 |> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
  `( e9 u+ o8 o4 o, Q7 _( V> 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
5 ^; ?) ^, S" ~. G2 ]' q1 t' U( s8 F0 ~> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
1 y" h- p6 a; ?; D3 p% ^> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
8 D4 O2 z7 L( X8 }! y8 G> 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,
6 ?+ E0 C  N3 Q$ J# s0 B> much less connect with the ball.
9 p/ e% d: i% _, e* U# x3 p> 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
: p: b" Y1 p" w( }* T> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
5 h) X( g! w% R> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
0 S) O+ l; r4 r5 c# Q/ G9 L> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
  }: ?0 r0 k6 o, ^4 U0 }4 a7 T> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
8 f+ |; |; y; b> right back to the pitcher.
>
( _/ _6 Q7 R- r& g+ M6 p! h> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 t* `6 i4 ^& \% g1 `4 }> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
: ^9 g! a  l& c4 ]> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
( n3 T) k8 X- f% Y( J7 W3 w+ z> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" a) L+ D0 s  G> 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
1 k1 I2 ]7 A/ T7 ?" V. Y> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
; y' j: c- C! p: m3 ]> 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
> 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'
>
2 w  f9 W  C/ p0 q# ?# y> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- ^* `+ Z& ^, f; m' @4 X3 \  P2 N! v> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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/ ]% p  p6 H2 N1 I( B  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
! {" S, p& D! e& C9 J4 v* _> game for his team.
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7 p: h: T: `2 ~$ }9 L  c) F> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ w6 ?) u  I- y% V> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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+ \+ p* I" N- a+ ]. S> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
! Y+ H1 N7 s; \' z7 A& }( n" n> 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!
>
9 f  s0 _$ h* l2 }" P> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 q* q+ M$ X* C" ]; R> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
( K& `' V, }. @0 ]> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
& e0 e4 J  V4 Z( M! j* j> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
5 B/ D) r) D5 @> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
4 W* T' L% s+ z5 ~& y  n) j4 x> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
$ v: l' m$ {* [. P: K$ Q% {> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
! A; s- y, y  b1 g$ u> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
) [2 g8 m, u$ P5 {( z  G2 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
; `& B" t' a2 }1 H/ ]- N> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
' o' V$ P! k+ @7 c+ \> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; v3 x. G2 ^: m+ q. C4 `> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
) m3 l$ N3 c3 |8 d& l8 i, ]> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
/ K7 ?) S5 q8 r6 H. |( k* y> 2. Forward
>
: w+ j7 l6 z9 Q5 W> May your day, be a Shay Day.