Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ A& O8 o0 N6 C: r0 S7 w9 S> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
/ v; P9 V2 v8 L! z7 Y5 N4 W> same choice?
>
3 x/ Y1 g0 y3 [6 S5 s. i* |: M> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( d6 z' l2 O' Z1 g  P1 s> 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:
>
, R6 [1 Y( H! A0 ~! N> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* N  x4 W$ `# O  [% O> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 D" f! g$ u, A4 x) Z5 \2 W> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
8 [! q1 Q0 B+ O  k: h>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
: c7 v4 d$ z, ?4 b> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
8 l) ^% t2 E% Z. t0 G. i5 E> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
" K* b4 x! q, S% D1 [6 W7 _1 e+ A> 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
# z( S) ~4 @# y: u* \> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
+ M9 M, }( p3 S* U> 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,
) L+ M& P+ J" `* C0 C9 A> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
8 E/ q, B  l3 O" `5 l/ G5 j> 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
5 N- f1 y) C# A2 w> 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
> inning.'
>
. ?4 G- T$ ?) z+ t) C> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
0 {1 E: b. Z' n9 P/ h> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
; K; w8 T# h- z' S3 y> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
  ]' P5 r/ I( l3 v, F7 r. I+ T> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
, F! T3 G- A$ k* v> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
8 V1 {/ z6 }! m! D! l1 t> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
. V( M4 X' k( f( S> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
4 @& Q, F  N, E> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ Q% l7 X2 R& |* ~> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
4 p8 z3 P9 V/ P! m> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
* K5 h! M5 U" a> 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
# G6 R( t$ J( `) t> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
& U: e/ c% I3 [/ T2 x: B> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
0 w  b- q1 `+ i/ F, m> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
/ O1 [  s$ t  ^8 A> 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
) _7 ^3 q3 }$ T- f0 }; q( D> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
/ ~& x. j  m+ c, A! ^7 w> 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
  U) v& D# K$ b7 I3 q4 i> 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
- B( y$ s0 U! t; n> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
, Q2 g( S$ k" _  r; \3 t> 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
+ B; v! H, M2 i8 q, T' P> 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'
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7 Y) m  C' J# b4 S> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
1 `6 I* Z3 c. h/ O  `> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
, J4 [) o1 m$ d> game for his team.
>
% ^* ]2 w2 G- \> '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
" o4 v/ p9 J: k( @+ u> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 q. n8 j' G  A7 r  ]( k7 a> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
$ o' }- ]4 u+ U  o> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
8 A6 {1 S8 h2 Q2 @2 a5 o7 E7 w> 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
. G7 d- {# A" q0 u" c$ l> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
  ^4 A& N6 h  }. X( X> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
% s8 T, G, \6 }9 S- W  _: {$ V> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
& R" i0 J( j8 P> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
/ K* L3 R) F8 V: B) V$ x5 G+ h7 }: x> 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
3 d% H  y$ K/ z" u5 d> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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6 N  e' ]1 q$ b. W% T1 X4 v9 y, l/ o" l+ v> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 r/ h2 ^- _9 Q# q# \+ i> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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  Y, C. \, n$ _9 g- `& m/ J> You now have two choices:
( ]( G/ W  t. \  a+ f: M> 1. Delete
% {4 f" J% Y( W0 A% ]/ r* o1 D> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.