Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ l, M% J& v% `+ ?> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
& c0 Z1 j8 X5 i8 W> same choice?
>
> 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
" O8 D! Z- O" H, ]5 ?3 [> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: C' ]: z$ V9 O. }. a> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
' Q. ]( M8 r* u: }% M> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
" k) b( }( w' e& m1 D> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
3 ^4 {7 m# l5 \; I- E. _, D3 _> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; Z  U4 y/ _( [7 S+ K/ k2 f> 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.
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" [/ ~. u8 {3 O3 b> 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
  y. d& z- F1 E: I> 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.'
>
> 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
> 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
9 J4 g! g7 P; F! `+ W> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 ^' m, b: p: f2 Z9 j" j> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> 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
> next at bat.
3 N1 m) f$ Y4 }9 o" u" N$ b>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
5 B. M( p$ e9 A> 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
; H* H$ U  Y$ D% V: M2 x: d$ I6 c> 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
$ }$ |  n( `+ x, N# U" F- d1 P> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> 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
$ e2 ?, v+ T$ W* j> 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
# f$ z6 F0 o& P/ l# u$ x> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
1 O& ^( |: Y/ E. z' a6 _; e> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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' O' L0 K; {3 r9 }6 i" ~> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
7 ?- R1 e' k1 ~' q> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; a" M1 i1 q7 K% j/ K> 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
> 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,
> 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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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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9 }. a# m2 }1 S% w! Z* H  Z7 R> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
6 e% p$ e" {/ R% ^7 F, {) f  v& D> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
8 n8 I# L0 D4 O* K# t. T* }> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" v& P9 S  v- e0 F> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
) D* k  i7 Z/ ?> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
: u1 V* r! q, K+ }3 B" N! s> game for his team.
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$ G2 m, U3 h0 X& x3 f/ G/ E: D> '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
) M7 ?+ O, m/ e> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
* r6 S! u+ D- B. p' {> 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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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
: W3 b) o- ~) f& V8 Y. {> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
4 ~/ ~. z. {% r4 L> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
8 z2 a1 x. j- ?8 p8 {> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
0 B, s0 ]- v) c> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
2 @& n, x+ a* X9 e6 c. C>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
/ ~" |. |6 d( b& N' C) P( K) g> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
* m. y  a, `) E" y0 S/ i> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
+ ?; M5 Z! r- H" k8 j( X, x> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
8 m, ]/ x0 n$ n4 z0 D" g> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
0 ?4 Z1 O7 p0 `+ F$ Y' Z" }1 S> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
, i3 I; n" y( l& }> bit colder in the process?
>
, Y/ g  z0 @5 u% H; B> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
, a" c( P! R3 Y; @> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
% f  L5 S6 h9 _5 R' S1 Z( I> May your day, be a Shay Day.