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; `- {& G- {7 u8 w> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  ^5 x' K$ \$ m+ p7 S4 _9 X> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
, Y8 V8 q' S4 W0 y8 X/ ]> 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
& }8 Z$ v4 e0 y" h8 n% }& x0 l> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
  c( a9 h3 N5 A" `5 L/ ^6 `3 w> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! T  P* W2 B. o7 h( P> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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* D( A+ Z, |  U+ Y7 s. z9 m/ _" p* h> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
0 p8 p0 c' A& D" S6 G> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
. \2 |1 Z* I0 P  z! J> treat that child.'
>
> 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
> 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,
> 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
  s% _$ R2 k" q( M& Y# |> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
! L# v3 ^; x: j4 X. Z> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
, e2 f1 ~% a+ S4 ?/ ^8 y  J> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
6 `% T" _! `& u+ ^0 D2 y) W. P4 w> 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
* h$ d$ x- T- G5 f* U> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
1 o' }; f6 l2 J& l> 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
) P7 P+ e8 }% j# w/ F' }> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
5 X4 t2 X6 x1 z4 V2 G3 i> 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
) y% g$ c1 S) }# u> 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,
' `) I6 L8 t( h. q> much less connect with the ball.
) O( l2 E5 f  |2 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
> 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.
, y& e- k6 x& B& T. _6 {) C> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
% r+ s8 d( u3 ]2 b2 ?0 u> right back to the pitcher.
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6 I) |$ Y- h: Y+ ]4 t: K> 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
% M. X+ J5 O% C% i% q1 }> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
0 f" E, }7 W; _% ~7 V> 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,
% W* R1 T% r$ S> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ o* ], G+ `1 z, D> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
- N- U3 \4 J0 U% h> 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
: I5 [4 H! R5 n0 C> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
  H. o( O1 T' a0 n, I> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
) w+ G6 N. O% c6 o0 O> 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'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
% C9 @) u$ A4 t3 ^7 c3 N> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> 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
( V1 `- b; ^; \# a4 z> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
) X6 T, I7 f% y# ]; t7 l! N  F> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 Z/ p' r' H5 L5 I> '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
# I! V$ n# I$ J/ O1 l. v> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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) ^: w0 n/ F5 J) g3 n> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
, s3 U3 P/ v& N/ a+ n> 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
  c: K6 w+ G2 s: b+ F* X% s% C5 s> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
4 z# _: p6 W) Y, C- e" e> 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
+ I' q9 z/ b* ]: l9 n* K- K/ U# C> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
$ o' G, e/ O) Y$ o> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
# G7 Z  _& ~$ F> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
5 e: E2 ?! A" t4 v  X- B& Y0 d> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
" s: F# L* v- y+ b" O6 p! Q> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
, J& h! V$ G5 \, k. c0 G( C> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
! q( N2 V3 _+ e# n2 d% ~> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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6 U+ Q8 o; ^; a3 R8 @0 D> You now have two choices:
/ M1 E+ h) v% t$ ~$ P% C> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
4 N! k9 U7 h+ h( Y2 f3 o- Z8 O+ s> May your day, be a Shay Day.