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?
>
$ G8 t: p, r5 p( a* k5 ]8 W> 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
+ A0 R4 |. A2 E! S; ?5 x, {> staff, he offered a question:
>
: M9 g0 Q& u7 A. }9 l, \* R> '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
& e& q# d% J. [7 H, r  U> natural order of things in my son?'
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3 c, L' l" y+ s' e, B9 Y% l> The audience was stilled by the query.
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7 Q6 Z+ I7 U8 ?1 ?7 |# m> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
4 H; F$ {8 E7 i/ t! |. u> 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.'
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  F6 ~# Y9 g  U% |! R. b* E> Then he told the following story:
>
1 ]2 t# F5 g$ C. ]7 T0 ]> 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
! [, r. V3 }* Y> 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.
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; ?4 m  Q  U& n. ]( d. D$ x3 q> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( r' F- S$ L& _( S9 s& W> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
( D% L6 k0 {: Z: m> 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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3 ]0 e1 Z5 T2 u: P& c4 ~4 P6 T$ B> 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
> 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
4 k) ]% w6 p# V! r# T4 T> 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
5 @( p; G% Z$ F6 W! D> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
0 X! w2 x( h: ~) `2 t( D! z4 c> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" ?5 w7 l& r; `' d0 l% u> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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, z: P4 N, x. i% s> 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
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
8 ^+ X9 j! t0 |* Z* E7 f> 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.
  H. Y: R, [4 e, b. R& s> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
( e  U1 `/ X* y2 h3 u> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
$ n( O+ G5 Y, o  A/ D! D: Q> 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
: C/ R/ z6 x7 ~3 E- i> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
% i, n! H. P# t2 X> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
1 x! _1 l; Q1 w+ d+ Y1 [" _, D> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
" c9 U. h" z3 b- w) v7 D> 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
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
, F/ C% B2 k, t3 M6 \> 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
# _" z3 c5 c# [- ^0 t! Q> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
' m* E9 _! {) M6 p$ n6 }> 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.
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& K1 t( i4 P% U9 y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
  |- F" x, q3 O* N: d/ b' g) f> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
8 S  l0 W. r  v9 R2 U! Z> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
5 H8 j/ t% z* h) ?3 l> Shay, run to third!'
>
* E) r0 z8 O7 T0 Y+ @> 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
> game for his team.
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> '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
0 m2 b9 r6 J- q4 p  }> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 s% ^) w. r/ g; V/ m# n> 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!
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' M& \, t) q* L1 E) O> 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
* G4 A1 X8 Z% k" k3 A> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
& f# u+ y% K( Q4 Z8 V, G> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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+ u  \/ ], O0 j' u; ^> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' y" `& \& `5 b& F% k> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
- k8 _# n9 h" i+ l3 q8 }# i> '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
; q/ `2 a) L1 j/ Q" @> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
6 I. Y1 c' l' O* P9 o> 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?
( E8 W- ?& i$ o# Q6 q, v! f) q0 |>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 S3 C  W5 @& T9 Y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
; e$ H- _8 e0 K, E: Z> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
0 j& |. {4 Z  P% p> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.