Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% Q/ `- t: V9 v7 f3 x& C% p> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
4 S1 V! x! C+ v# h2 g- m, Z> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
, h' c! Q; W2 A$ ?6 D> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 D5 Z9 Y: U6 d" O> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 w6 t5 L9 i, M: T2 A6 N+ A3 U( Z> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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: W% M- U( p9 D> 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
> treat that child.'
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+ D: T! l8 n' q+ S> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
  d5 I6 _, e4 G$ C* i. ~> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
& y0 K5 C9 Q. I% u5 k1 q+ Y> 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.
>
> 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
; w* o) Z" f, U' n' v. o) u> 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
, o/ n  e( s4 i$ O7 o) j> inning.'
>
/ X$ q( d( h1 S. U( K) z> 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
4 G" @+ i/ \9 o3 h; c> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
$ X# ?% ?3 \4 R1 @  n! T> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
4 T! v# ]5 G+ C$ o> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
2 V! h! U6 c4 c/ a> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 m9 Q4 C7 d( s3 f* o: {( s, w- E> 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
+ E: s  X& v. r1 o5 Q> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
3 |# ]! {% }( P/ Y( w> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
4 n4 l2 l- E" e% {2 m( `, g> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
/ N0 Q/ v# Y) K5 i: m' F> 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
> 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.
. O: J& W1 ?3 G3 j$ C/ Z9 {> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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- [  t" K: Y+ }- B> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
2 b  _6 ?5 d1 L+ T/ i, D- _/ e0 ]5 W> 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
# K6 n3 Y# z  A" j> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
! x- q. w& m: @+ j6 r7 K; _> 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,
) p% w  D" p! A" R1 w, [1 F( 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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
" p( `& W* J+ o' D1 [> 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
> 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
0 @% a/ t+ Y- V& Z: s7 w: e$ n% v> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ ~0 d* Y7 n5 G' `* W& j> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> 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
! K! j" L1 s0 B+ u- @4 V> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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% J5 G, W" ?  V> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
- d) U  N& N/ o5 G/ r& c% `4 Q& d& K> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
3 S! T. h; e1 G2 F1 R5 ?> 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.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
0 ^9 p" u! Q7 a) b0 f> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
( u- k$ t4 C/ b9 l> '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
: a6 |0 H5 t+ X9 Z& }> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
! p/ r" K& Z7 L9 N" U$ M> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
# x7 a! k8 C1 E4 {  X; @> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
0 v( D8 Q$ y+ c7 C$ F$ V" N  h6 X9 x> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
6 j( o5 K  x% Y# `& K> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.