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
/ ~$ R0 M, J/ _0 p' R5 d) b/ E" T> same choice?
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> 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
2 r0 w# i- q/ v: E9 g8 y* `> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* Z4 g) ~% G+ Z0 R- p> 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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/ S+ O! x' s& G' S> 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
7 R. W! M* }0 H( P/ }' ]6 u> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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1 ]: u" s2 l/ A9 c- n' F3 N- }> 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
8 D) B1 I/ i+ ~> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
- f3 B4 b9 G/ I> 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,
: E% r6 ~" S, R& s$ J& G> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ s; v* O: m- l& i! R! b> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
7 Y1 q2 Y9 K% @& G> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
6 ~" J  w2 |3 x) a> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
6 j+ L. e0 ^9 I' T$ O) J2 u' u/ F> 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
- G9 p: r: P6 z3 M; U> 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
( X5 ~1 E3 T- ]. J> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
  \; |* }: C6 ~; |( l6 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.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. L+ T+ m* Z6 w( A: D> 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.
: B* j& S) O! }- S) H> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
( O2 B$ K: {/ j$ L7 |" @0 O- `> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
, Y; C9 u2 F8 s> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
3 e( ^& r; W7 D4 l# R) M7 O> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' B/ j$ o" x5 a7 E0 q> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 R# t# D/ }; o  {/ C* \$ V> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
! X# F# z6 @( c, _9 T> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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; K. a/ W2 V- \3 ]) X> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
( N8 z5 L' x) e+ P+ V5 d3 R* d: O) m> 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
7 j# P- g6 Q: Q# X, f& M# C# o, k> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 k5 {6 o3 f  G% B# ~8 |6 X2 f9 c> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% @# K% j5 m9 o> 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
& y# p) z; ^% Y2 I: o- K> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
4 t8 `6 x* d, |( U" S. E& _> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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! H5 r( t0 w9 x! z6 c' l> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
/ I8 Z/ `6 p$ @2 `  I* Q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
, D- |: g) ]" h8 B" u> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" Q" c. u; P; ~9 J> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
4 F/ R+ h7 s: u* p1 ?" d> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
5 a9 p3 r. f, B> game for his team.
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$ s$ B+ X3 h+ c+ u2 R: _1 r5 C> '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
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>
' t' R$ f( C9 B/ P  Q2 [+ o> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
( y9 F4 x6 {" x$ Y  j$ K  S) `> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
! b2 _) p% Q1 m6 `; Y> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
& X6 Z8 b. a8 J6 H" D7 C) [> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
5 B7 E: I6 s5 A2 i6 K) J/ ~% `! L> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
& f& x, w0 J3 A8 s( M# w0 p> 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
; l5 M; h) _7 k5 |5 _0 X% b0 S> 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
" N; ~: H: }3 F0 R/ S) d' L) V% E> 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
) V7 Q, G' `- C; q) E, |( V  l' W( g> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
$ D8 x7 m  g, r5 r" v7 j> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
' n  O  p& T) y> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
7 x  y4 A8 A) y& k$ L> May your day, be a Shay Day.