Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' f! o0 f$ m9 \& z, h  z- F$ S: B> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  M; y5 k9 i0 M& }2 `, J> same choice?
>
> 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
6 S2 o% L" _) ]5 N4 R/ j2 v> 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
0 M" h! m* a" _5 o> 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
4 G' t* l4 x( F> natural order of things in my son?'
>
/ z" F  m% P, }" g) \4 h* J> The audience was stilled by the query.
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3 W3 H3 X4 W# f, B2 _2 o4 u> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 y7 T0 L. S0 J: Q7 E> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
" s2 m& u' P8 T% d( S> treat that child.'
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$ ~! a8 A6 q! b# `5 R2 e" T( Z) a> Then he told the following story:
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4 G3 T4 a. f( }3 o> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) p, A' m5 i9 x, {7 @( O8 K> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
7 t3 z$ u  [+ A( }! ]5 `> 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
% W# X3 _3 J* W3 x+ V4 h) q7 a- ]> 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
2 x* Z' R5 g/ E> 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.'
>
* H) [3 g, B& u6 g# ~# {4 `8 L' B> 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
6 F5 Y* E3 x, `2 ^> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
9 l# q! _* ~( o, b4 w& b1 F> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
; u# ?, @/ |) A/ [3 b> 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
' b; i. y! Q- }- W> 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
9 Y# t) u9 ?. K1 ?0 G> 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
, d' b" z# d- k: N9 w, R; w" f> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
9 G8 R) \7 U- t" ~$ Z% r> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
0 T: x, N0 s* `! D> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
% k3 E8 ~8 @6 k. S8 {> 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
) S+ R' _; ?4 Z9 q; \/ q> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
; {7 {5 g- R2 t8 G- o> 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
2 H" K# s# f# M1 c- H' [! j> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
> 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
> 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,
3 W9 k) E! M7 N# K' P> wide-eyed and startled.
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' t' ~) l* b. |' B* ~2 ~$ t2 Q6 Z8 o9 g> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- c1 m) d+ i9 \: P! w> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
: X- }6 R  A4 F( ^# X( B> 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
, f" e, p& V7 C9 b# |> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
" A2 V% g" j4 u0 O6 X6 G> 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.
>
2 U& _& v! J8 n8 w) ~% D> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
( N4 f- G! g9 x> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
! {5 q* N, C7 b0 C: w> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
' k9 e) X$ \6 D8 m- R" V) g> 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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7 ]3 V2 J7 ]1 y! ^% k5 \: Z> 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!
>
> 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
/ X- x& g' w, J+ ^. B# z$ g( k> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
& ]/ U* H- \2 Q4 Z> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
" g1 ?" E: y! `& l> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% S) A( ]9 g9 u9 S0 `* A' x> 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
- q' e. C, _  ^> 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
4 w% b5 j7 R& N2 y& M> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
! ?/ |* G# P* r% E> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
3 j+ r+ h* d) P0 \, S- `  u! {: I> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
+ |! y  m9 Z) k+ x: W> May your day, be a Shay Day.