Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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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, ^2 P$ W. j# ]6 D4 f* i' z: F> 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
& y' U% X7 k' P+ M4 C. V5 g> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
+ `# P  i7 a( \" P> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
. x1 o% N2 m% k# `0 R> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. @1 X& H8 H) ^1 R3 m4 d$ \2 s; U> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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- [* \4 B( }+ M8 k+ i3 O8 Z> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
1 c2 E8 ]6 Q9 |( `  p7 @) l> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
  g% `. O' Z$ j( g% V, k1 R> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
2 s. E7 d# Y! _$ Y* I4 {) a8 i+ C> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
" Y8 I& p; q1 i+ c> 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
  b5 o( C  m" Z( i5 C% A> inning.'
>
4 h" Y8 {; E# S6 S  J4 S) N> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
: ?( D# }) ?# [" }6 }" E6 M> 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
6 l1 e5 j9 B+ {% X; m0 y$ c8 e> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
; ~3 |2 i+ [9 X  `' f9 _& b/ S> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
* T! n0 g, _: }& Z  r3 o# p, [2 B> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
6 A8 p6 H- Q' I$ S% e> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
( o. O& P' ]8 v* e  S+ q/ v> next at bat.
>
0 Y* P# i( ?' O7 B5 W# u> 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
  l9 Z: z( f5 [/ n! B> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
( ?/ S4 ~/ w) ?' l# Z> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; ^' Q: S  E& L' [) N( D! A4 f> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
% |/ ?% Q+ E1 ^0 X7 b> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
% D7 r# ~( ^8 ]' u( f! H1 A# a> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
% Y2 F" p" t$ G, ~: @2 P' z, h& w> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
# i2 U! ?+ E. t9 o> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
3 y4 d9 ^) v) O4 T> 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
. O; i+ B- T, L> 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
+ n! l5 w3 F4 R/ g> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
5 a# Y# V- g& V3 g/ j2 {" a, G7 y% X> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
# _2 Y3 q2 f1 w5 d) r> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
$ m5 J9 y$ f0 s/ Y3 e> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
! g) y9 I, J. C1 Y4 \* }$ c> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
$ y8 P2 i; N9 q' S> 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
2 C) i! u2 J! g> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
: S2 u  o+ Y8 ~! e>
/ T6 O, B$ U( E/ D> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
& X: k! \: s  t> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
) y- Z9 A" W/ Q. o! [( S> Shay, run to third!'
>
6 c0 T9 |# r0 b9 V+ d> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 y  [& P6 e, T> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
! ?! _6 [/ Y! \0 M4 p> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 {3 e( ?% f9 d' V' Y> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
$ g4 T+ |% g) C" g, S> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
1 d8 w: j/ ?' G# k2 t, S, ]) C> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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4 n" A1 T3 {% @. S) G* c> 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
" o) h+ C% x6 O* q  l$ t: ?6 B> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
1 s3 `4 @0 d5 H# r7 U>
4 I' a/ s: P$ m0 Y9 `> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' |/ b6 I; s$ n> 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
% c% L. B$ k5 A7 ]' H5 V! C& I> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
) U- {! a/ e# V5 e# _3 k$ S> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
' N/ ^) g, O' D; @% D6 s9 j+ W> 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
$ d" K1 F1 ^1 u8 O* d> bit colder in the process?
( e( x, t' M7 c( I8 q8 A5 d& [>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 {& c4 d4 }, @8 I> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
9 I0 k! J  ?' ^# t! \> May your day, be a Shay Day.