Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  p# x8 |5 D, Z" d1 o) Z2 d8 o! l> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
  W$ g, l9 k$ g5 ?( h> 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
' j% t0 H2 T6 m1 I> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ j5 c. `" O5 K2 |8 \> '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?'
5 b* [% h9 }% p: |) T>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( v; W. {+ `5 W! b> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: o8 K  L: X. V: z. t1 q% \( U8 H> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, K# O* v+ ~0 `7 T7 T( L1 {> treat that child.'
>
, b+ E# p* y; B6 o' y8 K+ i# ?> 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
> 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,
4 L( {" f: B! p% \+ Z9 h> 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
( Q& {* k! R: k' i0 D4 B> 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
' v) P; J$ p& c% `) q, h2 }2 P> inning.'
>
> 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
; J. J% g+ P5 x# }9 _- J> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
, Z' j% T' M+ e+ J( T7 R1 ]> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
6 b0 R& P) q( @7 ^' x0 z> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
* m5 t8 Q# f5 `( I6 k> 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
> 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
! v& Q. d) l  s& Z  ^( x3 |> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
  _0 d) p1 D  N% j> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
& e+ O" Y" [4 J0 ]> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
  k. k5 A9 K9 [2 }4 l8 W> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
; Y4 q3 U5 W$ ~/ G> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
4 u- R% h+ C! V1 `: b* }> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
  S6 w. `. z% Y7 x4 F) o> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 e2 h2 O: Z* V! J4 N> 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.
% T5 x1 {9 Z3 l  L2 R3 m6 B>
' n3 `* k8 W9 I+ w+ t> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
6 k8 q( {9 l3 u/ Q. _: A! ~> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
; h+ g$ q2 u% }! s- A4 T- R> 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.
2 [& t& }8 g6 ~! j>
$ S4 h( h/ T9 C, @, c> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
: b6 p$ V$ ^- v. 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
> 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
; x: V% ?/ G3 b1 a' G> 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
1 C3 e' R( \. K> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
$ b( Z9 P6 M+ ^& Y5 l0 J. b% i  F> circled the bases toward home.
, }8 J" }8 |1 ~" w# U- O>
7 z% |" x  c5 J! n! x; I3 L> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
+ o2 K% X$ P7 H9 k, W; y5 j) J> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
5 F( t' G$ h8 A# o( c) c2 U7 K> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
. q( Z( @) k1 c: J> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
! ]6 O5 w  D/ f+ g2 X9 g> 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
& R) U4 c( I; h& N> game for his team.
2 t$ D1 C( @' T>
> '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
$ L7 X. J1 n; I# Y  Y> 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!
' v- |6 A/ a) V1 ^4 N>
> 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
; x" c: [. S8 b, x' s- l. q7 f> 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.
& I! o  e; V% \: z+ M+ U$ G>
3 ?: B! e1 Q+ _. N8 d> 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
/ _. a3 e: k1 y> 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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
- s$ e# q4 h, A9 V> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
/ }% t! L% \( k% s. q$ A. z> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
, `" U! v' D/ X# M% r% m3 r( \3 _>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
% K. v7 L. e  T+ U. ~$ ]- }> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
& p2 a" \7 ]" e* H; [( Q>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.