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?
>
* e$ L/ h; Z2 S4 z5 t/ ~> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" k0 v" L. S* n$ `* c1 V% q> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
! ~* T1 l3 D& z6 m  G6 c> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! i2 a4 ^( L* O2 h> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
7 P0 n0 l5 @' `" J0 I$ W% I5 q- F> natural order of things in my son?'
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+ Y7 z7 D, Y  s  b: Q* S6 q> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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
8 ?) L% N6 P9 ~) O. Z> treat that child.'
>
- ]. i7 e, }- q* l5 A> 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
) p/ y8 }% Q$ G! D9 K) Z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
: s4 `$ w: A+ _7 X> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
, D8 ^( b" ^( Q+ O, H) L# v% [> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
+ W% a4 F6 U" d1 S5 f/ }> 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
$ \9 ~" o* C$ F$ [$ u1 S$ N0 E, M> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
2 d  k% s, D, Y% w) A' k- L. f> 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
0 n0 B9 \+ z' x8 a, f6 ~( Q; ?> 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
0 A, B0 g# a6 e4 D> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
* }  ~+ X6 i6 J% f; _$ z> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
- n3 V  l! Q2 Y/ d- Q( x$ v- L2 U0 U> 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.
- f: z6 v( L8 ^; u* G# n6 Z* |> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
( }1 b1 [# C& P> 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
+ a/ }9 x+ E. H! d8 A3 u> 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.
: b( R" }' s4 }8 N> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
; Y1 B/ E" e% ~+ _* [" t, Y! e) ]. W> 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
' W6 x. X8 A1 |# m2 Y> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> 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
0 C0 B5 f/ p' i+ f! j+ f> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
3 }; ^; s! @5 \0 y6 Q> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
6 x* I7 K& K* i! p  I! o8 s7 e/ A% y> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
" g3 b' i- m) y# O! `% C> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
" i. Q1 \" \. ]6 q, |  ]> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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) L# X9 W( z7 B. e) T: ?6 b9 p> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
>
) t2 ~/ v- h. T> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
. Q+ ^  _' [7 i' g8 `; D- {6 D& X. T> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
* V+ k: e4 ~, D6 F' K0 S) @: m  G3 H> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
' a; i0 c5 @0 I> 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
> into this world'.
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) ]  w+ c: j) ~0 a# b) x> 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
8 P1 A8 U$ T- f+ I& C7 v- R> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
' Z* }$ x) ?; C0 W/ ]> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" H* `$ o; ]' M> 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
. I8 y8 v2 n& H' q" h) m& A) q> 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
> 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
8 P- p- J2 Q5 q* {5 E! m: j> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
9 ^1 A' ^3 Q/ K0 m9 g! n2 T> A wise man once said every society is judged by
4 x7 i& ]0 Z; L9 A: b> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
3 R3 l; q- T1 I0 T) j0 y' n; E> You now have two choices:
9 B# a7 e, Z" w! J6 u  ^, I> 1. Delete
( [9 O6 a" e$ N+ o4 {> 2. Forward
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" z" l' W% K7 R) F> May your day, be a Shay Day.