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,
) j0 E; S7 l5 ^+ }3 ?1 }* t> 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
' Y% b) C' H/ h. W3 B1 X> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) @, ^" K; u' [9 s( e> 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
: v& a) G$ a" R2 L( u> natural order of things in my son?'
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- X7 c7 O: y' c2 h9 d7 H> The audience was stilled by the query.
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  E2 _8 N8 r- p& I) p7 T> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* x( r" T# a  V( F> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 ]# f. _/ D% E' p: q> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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/ T; H+ J8 D$ 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
$ Z" S9 B/ i9 \$ V7 q# ^2 x> 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
. R2 _3 A6 ?* _' q  o& c6 g> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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) _$ U8 h- G- O$ _> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& u( p  j! Z1 x; F* q> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
2 y. C, ^( P! _* A; M/ V> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
; j) A" i. |* m> 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
> 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
" N; Q6 ^& A3 Q1 O> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
- b# z, [* I- ^0 ^> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
> 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
' ^' \; |+ X. S+ |4 ^5 F> next at bat.
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8 F' n' V7 Y6 [' a> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 l3 J; S/ a2 `& x) [+ e> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
( |: {& n- p4 G) P* D0 y> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
/ p, G; S2 K8 L9 K, x+ U! D> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
4 U5 R3 i5 v/ ~, h- _. ?' ~> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
1 ?& z; l0 t& C- Q3 o> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ J: R! k& }. C6 e0 L> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 _1 w, \" g$ X1 b% F& 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
3 r. _- H* q$ W7 r3 U+ t> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
> 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
9 s* }" W* N0 u$ N> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
3 h& @; a, C' q  U; m> wide-eyed and startled.
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, H/ I( i# w: D! F0 A> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
' I  L) S1 \# e7 {3 V> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
) k1 i8 X; z! r' @& Y> 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
- q+ N9 E. J9 _3 ?9 M1 Q> 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
5 F) d0 _/ e0 z$ i5 \% J> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
8 T8 W0 B0 q$ v! X4 [> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
0 M: s$ i: {5 A- H+ }> 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
) k% e2 A. m9 G* ]> game for his team.
>
> '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
7 r! M) ?" [0 F' h- L. ?> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' ]( d# d6 u' |! |& Y: O> 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!
>
> 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
' W) V" Y' t( D- A, _$ ]> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
8 e, }) h' \6 W- H9 `# C& p  n> 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
; w. n0 i- R( w) g1 Y8 n; J> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
& \5 h0 E0 J; w: Y, v> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
- C2 Q+ Z' y" z. a( J" `( D+ U> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
. l6 e5 n, X- p> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
- V7 z" G7 o+ w/ v9 n> 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?
>
% F: Y% ?& l: s# q# s. T> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
7 E( |0 i6 S9 c7 r9 t+ w% x> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.