Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  U5 F. M, Z% m; K% U> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
$ j8 {$ Q+ r4 T+ s3 b# P$ e" W3 t> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
  m8 g' k7 m, [; s+ w* A6 n8 D> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
$ D% Q( i4 |+ `! }> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
3 N0 M5 u' \7 j/ b$ D> staff, he offered a question:
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> '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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% r# ?- f/ n6 Q( w3 o> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  g+ V( r) ]+ q5 A2 S> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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: U' Q, c, i9 m& B( h0 e> Then he told the following story:
>
0 k' N4 T# B  E/ _> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 C+ C% {$ p) G& }8 E8 U> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
" m! b. u6 @/ e% o1 i9 c> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
6 Y7 y# s0 X2 m& c> 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
% L2 o' R7 t1 I2 S> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 `; t7 f1 P+ S, o6 k/ x> 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
7 K9 A0 i% v2 y) D> inning.'
>
) V8 U2 V* Z, V+ l' @6 X; ]> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# G6 K3 @/ f" [& l# Z> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
& f0 s, W8 M  b> 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
$ J2 M! ~3 ]* J5 d$ Y% ~> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
0 H# O1 N& S  o$ [/ w' ^6 S> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
( {+ v* I1 V3 c7 I> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
( i9 Z4 S8 P8 I8 V; l> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
$ E3 E8 Z; x# h. [: d5 t> 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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- R: q3 y( r7 a% [7 g0 @9 u" K> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. b' c! z) Q/ v> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
$ p6 R; K! G! L> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
9 |% w. _3 s* e/ U0 _8 k- I) H. c> much less connect with the ball.
' T6 p) B# l5 g+ ^1 H3 s> 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
* ?2 A# V3 F5 ]* C> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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4 z* A! B6 o' J2 R& y) w> 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.
>
1 h# }; p+ p2 r  s> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* r7 H+ _5 h- L> 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
+ c3 e+ Z( D( g5 b, o2 P. [8 v> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
" Q. r. W* P4 t$ O* g> 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
* s5 R6 |7 G& t> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
# G! k; K6 Z! u8 N! u2 ?& s& A5 I" X> 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,
( l8 \' c( p& I+ u> 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.
>
* @1 m2 E5 v, I9 P) N2 I> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
) B/ e& j% A4 b5 ?( [3 N> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
& t8 z  r' I' J. e8 d! p> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
% v9 b; Z$ k- v& `8 L8 {> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
  r& Z3 z1 ^7 `# s  f% `  q* O> 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
, K) c! n2 w& O# _, d" U( g7 z> game for his team.
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0 W4 s( f9 }( ^& M9 _& T# Q> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
; ?4 n& L9 [( l  c* ]8 M> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
# j. U: _$ P# S3 |> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
- ?# y' o# }' ^* T$ T3 h8 G> 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!
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" [3 ]- H+ `  U# a; M" X> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
) g) U0 |7 y8 a- n0 K$ [> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
/ k7 |1 G& t. A8 b( r> 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
; Y. q1 z" k2 f% G  |" z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
: w3 R5 k+ h5 l> 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
% D! p7 B% P7 O8 ?$ S8 ?7 L) t1 N> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 v( f$ o% t7 r* D% U! r6 E! q1 B9 H> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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( [( f+ r: m9 m( V$ D. J> You now have two choices:
( P4 o7 @9 l. d; w8 K# P> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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0 T, S9 v0 [% a/ N2 n> May your day, be a Shay Day.