Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
. ^* h6 @9 f3 O! t1 \$ _, {* N>
> 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?
$ r1 N, H- V: f! p* s2 N( f, r1 c9 \( J>
. u. p5 u8 a8 k+ @5 d> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
: ?. }$ i' ?) M+ i> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
; L; p" M$ x, Q2 U0 V4 ^> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
% V/ z8 }; a" @% {* k  H> staff, he offered a question:
>
- F! F' u7 c9 P4 I1 Z* U> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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?'
/ o" ^3 m* f' J2 O) ?3 I0 J. L>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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
% D3 Q1 B4 \; a  c> treat that child.'
7 }5 C  C$ z6 b: j>
> Then he told the following story:
5 I# Q5 ^4 A, a! ~>
" m1 d7 p" A% d" T> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
6 w6 ?) y  o) r4 V4 {6 ?> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
. t; `# i- X, O  l/ P/ j8 C> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
8 I, Y4 @' N& l' S" A> 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.'
>
2 m# ~6 {8 ^6 W5 K! F3 w3 j' x> 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
" m  K( u, U+ Z; g: _1 g. f/ \" j> 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
. g* a( X: M( o/ g8 O1 b1 k> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
) S; P) {" I* z' F, B$ Y5 M7 q> 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
# F3 L! l3 N/ @. O> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
( L5 c, J# p3 e# V. d! y, Y> next at bat.
>
> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
8 V% E2 D7 j, G5 @+ C> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
& T7 l. Y) L, V8 W' q> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
8 w! h3 u' z  d1 l' `> 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
> 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
( F& O; j, ^. ^3 ?> right back to the pitcher.
, _; `) m+ p: V3 M>
; J- L, \* l& v/ G> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 S5 Q9 x0 T# O  }# E- B% U> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
: z+ ^; P% A  x1 g> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( d: `/ n4 k( p. z) S3 i! t7 D> 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.
>
% X( c  T+ ~2 R9 M> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
7 m* k3 C" B- U% n5 |) ~> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
  c0 D) g) e1 f4 D0 ^> 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
0 D. M: A, u+ G& F5 \> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
% g4 k$ ]- A3 q; u( r6 k& d0 u- j3 T>
> 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!'
>
9 Q% d% N9 X  b( }( t> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" O4 w: z( E2 T: T+ |> 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
> game for his team.
* D# x0 H8 c7 W4 v* s* l& S/ m) v>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
7 S- C- \; f  y> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
4 t9 w8 X7 S2 o1 r. d' `( `; |# k> into this world'.
>
2 \: X3 H( C' y2 Q0 l> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
1 I7 e& u3 U! M. e>
$ u3 d5 z! _. {7 J9 H& [' F> 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
( k- Q6 B2 _3 V( G/ d> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
% @) l# i5 Y* s, o, `> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
$ m- ^: Q' J! K6 R& [- S>
0 w& E; Q2 _# s  Q5 o, y> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
> 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
# g1 s: O* \8 P$ j8 h0 c# f> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
! U7 `7 ?3 L! P9 X$ y" @5 Y; U, }> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
/ d9 z% K  s. |' l, n4 q> bit colder in the process?
6 K* T+ l5 S" b" r7 Y>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# t! `- ~1 J- d  f  P> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
# x) C/ p3 E# P4 ~0 e1 P>
> You now have two choices:
, M% G. N# _# u> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.