Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
$ E) @. a; R* G/ t# c6 v/ O1 Z; @7 j> 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,
3 z- n6 {7 `( _$ w6 C4 F> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
2 \2 V! {9 O3 g' ~> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
! Z6 q/ g: k  j( W2 a> 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
! X( U1 B5 l) |/ f5 p: u8 w" i" f> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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* O9 F3 W3 d& i0 Q3 R8 U9 r3 z! Q> The audience was stilled by the query.
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6 p, c) {1 W7 P, q' M& G> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 }  l# F6 ~: m& O/ W/ A* d% m> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, o/ [1 Q- P4 q7 n( ]+ O* W& J) A> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
1 g+ c8 }% k% h0 J2 b> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
5 [% n# B. d  \) ?8 j, g1 T. o& c: ^( M> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
8 n6 ?' @1 ~3 a& D/ y5 d/ A> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
2 g% G! f) S9 E> 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
6 ]3 m# O' C! F' ~* R$ l9 s6 A> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
2 o, [. O# f  u' w! k  S- I> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
6 E, |" k! \' K8 `% }3 i> 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
1 d( B$ y( G, x4 z; K  Y> 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
( B  ]  ^: I  Y% j6 y> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 b! X4 _0 W% t& A+ a* {> 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
3 x! [2 F6 K! m3 z( c> 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 G+ h: R: m9 |9 j8 D" k> next at bat.
>
- Y0 J" n# F8 ?; ^> 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
: C% e" Z2 z2 c0 i* o5 M9 W& C> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
* E0 ?( G$ W, p> much less connect with the ball.
- W& K: @' ^+ z+ R0 N) g/ 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
> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
9 W* d# ~. E: K> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
& B: R  B. I) y* K> 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.
>
  Z( A' n6 d1 p6 m; A& V> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
& r, I7 A- k6 k5 h5 g6 ]- T> 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
* _& G0 f  g8 e3 U0 s> 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
> 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- d: i. H* i, T( ?> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
' h7 `, W# ^+ M- S  Y+ O, G. g- l6 s> 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,
0 \% p2 x* e0 e8 V; r, d- i> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( l7 G$ d- O6 g; H> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
) @) r% i8 R- ~) G6 I: `- ~> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
  R, Q0 c& b& l* y> game for his team.
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6 l0 U  S+ {8 j& Y# f2 F> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
7 B# n/ I; }9 o, W" B# S. B> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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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
3 x8 [5 }6 C4 ?: \" e> 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
9 p" x- }" U) n& j5 I* ]$ K4 J> 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
  L4 K3 }* [& j- A1 G# W> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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! T$ y! @, z6 V: j! y$ I> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ ~. f# P5 @1 l) |5 b> 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
& m0 ]6 ]0 P0 R% D" P; P/ o, l> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! {+ _2 ?! t3 l" R& T' F> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
8 s/ g1 H' u' s1 U& Q( V- p> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
/ K" T7 Y) G+ A, T> bit colder in the process?
>
/ C7 W/ c3 L9 {+ q# k5 ~6 P: Q8 e> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 B! _* T+ g4 k6 J  ]' V; D> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
$ {. B; X9 r0 A- G- f> 2. Forward
>
( U& ~# ?1 L/ ~6 I# u> May your day, be a Shay Day.