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,
* r8 z3 y: z' q: p' 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
$ d. F! l4 c! D> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 Y  y4 y7 n/ f' s> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
0 d! S6 ]0 q& r( `> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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  [3 U' \8 c5 j/ M> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
. h. A" ]! P) k6 j6 ?: Z> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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7 R; C2 `" j2 o) r- ?> 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
2 }+ D: a* W; @- i5 z" [9 a> 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
6 V4 T( r% V5 ]2 b& _" C7 [# D! {2 ]> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
, a$ G. B* M6 [3 \& t> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 z; \' L8 x( ~& {> 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
> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 _  l, C+ u& \' S6 w  R' r$ g> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
> 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
# H& T, R  f* G% R4 D. G/ u7 v> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
% z: p! b: f7 A. V> 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
- P, L# G. ~2 M9 T& ^> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
! ^- u$ W1 `* @> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
3 L' |1 {0 U8 y. g8 _> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
7 J; ^7 f+ n3 p) n: R5 }> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! G1 L# ?5 r( N> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
/ x2 a% t. y6 T. ~> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
  ]; {) h1 P3 @9 _& ]! M> much less connect with the ball.
: K- {2 }: h1 ]> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
. d' D  e6 E4 o: W. Q> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
1 Z3 l6 W" [9 P4 _. m) S9 X> 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
0 m2 I' g: e, n. A7 I, Y# v# x> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
- }: d, g. i+ c9 y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
7 [. Z2 i. l. _> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 ]. b' ?3 }& ]* n" D- }> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
+ Z" x; e* r" c" }) {$ v# [; j> 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
" M) ]- V1 t3 D  C3 g  ~, l0 K> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ j2 v, w# `4 A' p% p2 s. _1 C> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
  k- U" d# s- M/ B> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
; C" v9 ^' ]# j0 b" u* d- F> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
/ j, W9 B5 K. H9 A7 H4 a: Q> 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
9 b/ ~" d# @/ h) ~5 G4 y. }0 c3 j7 Z> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
1 z' X: |4 C" X7 i! j* {> 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 B8 h- I( D; v0 V. j  y7 X> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
' C; Y- a( _8 V, {' Y0 Q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
$ d4 H: b3 W3 p7 g- e; a& h' ?> 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
> 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
! \' g( @  M" j( H> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
$ e- K; \* I0 Q3 R1 k8 E8 Z> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
3 U) I  F: W( X3 ?4 F> '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
; y9 f  r5 _6 H+ A% e> into this world'.
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: Z5 W+ ~2 r7 r1 U> 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
; U2 E5 y) r5 m> 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
; h. G9 @1 a" o0 A3 l" K> 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
  S& o2 Y# G* }4 n& f6 c8 C> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
7 H  q1 e8 u% H0 B6 g! L9 W& J/ }> 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
9 [6 n( N6 U8 W' p8 Y, _  M  m* z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ f1 g( V& S. T$ |> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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/ q6 M# ^+ B$ f6 H- f8 W> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
% V$ r* I2 F7 D+ l  w- q0 P: {> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.