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
0 ^/ b6 g* _( p> same choice?
>
$ `6 m. Q  e' i  `5 p" z> 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
4 ~* F2 Q5 m9 k6 H: n& R> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
/ Z, F7 f7 [  S2 H3 v0 y0 ?> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
* u1 v7 ^5 `9 Z! N. r1 v> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
( p5 X. c! U: N' `/ w2 F( h% z9 N> natural order of things in my son?'
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0 A( J2 z# j3 q8 s: a( P5 e> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! h, A4 m+ ?- i" e$ O4 d' S, ~> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> 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
+ O: k# K' Q' B) s: y2 E9 D; ]> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
( [# G; \/ z: I; J: q9 ?> 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.
>
0 I4 q5 g  T& `8 ~1 C( S# F4 U* P  k* l> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 a/ \  g. i. J% s7 X6 W9 p5 D* A> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
> 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.'
>
> 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
8 U+ u. u+ w' y- F> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 S' C  p( h# @! d/ i> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
: p0 [7 v$ L4 J# B% O+ m> 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
' _$ X. [; `/ }4 V% y. ?! e4 r> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
! a+ h) Y& Q+ s> 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
+ G0 i0 `* g/ Q& J> next at bat.
>
& y; [. h) J) j2 V- v; \  f$ n> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) c% G* ^% k$ h9 \1 V- {, ^> 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.
2 X2 w  M! s9 E% y0 {; E6 c> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: y$ x4 B+ I5 Y: n2 t3 }> 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
> 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
& Z/ N% g" c+ t* D> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 Z; T% s8 [6 ~% r9 O> 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.
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5 Z2 q  h- p4 ~" N! N9 s, {> 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
7 r8 T1 z" X7 I! D$ s$ H> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
) V9 ?- ?+ ]1 V! v$ D+ s> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
+ k; W% Y/ ?6 x% D5 f$ Q> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) |7 w( x. L, C5 i> 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
0 y- z  w% x3 i) K% M' u; O> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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% I0 @7 W- e: v* W' k; k7 B0 X) X) I> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
9 s7 c7 m# `5 \) t+ q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
  r3 Y- A$ T, S) S' L> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
8 l+ K) Y" K( A0 L1 F, C) X> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
4 |( E$ R0 a8 F  Q0 h' d0 I> game for his team.
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, o+ G" i; d' y7 H" p> '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
) I- w; I9 J% O> into this world'.
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> 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
1 M: s8 S$ L3 p) w7 P> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
) {& h+ m; K# b! r" Z  i, b> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
# h. q4 M+ c9 o( H$ X* _7 p> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
" O4 N1 b3 O6 u3 N> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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1 ~2 [; h- `* A% B8 D> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
- M, E3 h- C' x> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
# l" w& _9 Q1 y+ x! {  K; q) R0 ^1 m> 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
1 L8 u6 z3 T+ P4 {> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
1 Z* {/ \  \1 a$ ^+ j) r7 Y9 ?+ |- i> bit colder in the process?
>
2 L4 f' J3 q" K& e( b2 n> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 f  x& b4 a# S. D" y! [> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
& `$ n" i% ?8 W> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.