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
5 m' v8 e  P4 u1 C# T> same choice?
>
. v- U3 a5 h" z: T> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 t6 h4 _7 m- }> 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:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 k* N- M% z7 g) ]7 G> 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?'
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( t( M, w7 Z  s> 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
% c8 _  v+ C% Q/ n7 s> treat that child.'
>
> 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
( I+ q3 j2 q- s& L3 L> 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
7 `! D$ _9 X, Y0 E9 j> 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
9 \' Y0 x) ~0 G) @$ k8 w> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
' K4 n5 G% L+ q5 f; l$ r> 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
> 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
> 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
, D; E) y) M0 w9 [/ J. J4 I> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
! @" p, |9 O' f4 J  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
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
9 ^, K: I% y# F2 d> 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,
+ b( w' a5 [$ K+ W1 u2 v8 @$ t> 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
7 q, C( o3 ^1 O/ O; S* n3 ~> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; K, J' }* N: M0 }) g% @1 E> 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.
: i4 w& `1 q8 k7 b2 p" F* n5 Q> 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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" v, K6 x. M: A4 F/ R. X; Q( m> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
  ?9 Q# _& L% X0 @  O1 {# D, a> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
" Z) R1 Q+ i+ m; U" u: Z> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
7 Y- i& [0 a% t( O0 O3 \( K> 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
4 k) l6 Y2 z( T1 f* c  s> 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,
0 i; D% }" q0 t& d# ]. T, J. V> wide-eyed and startled.
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: n. |+ j7 {5 Y1 ]> 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
: P+ O+ R/ a- a' G' x% g+ c/ t> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. w. q5 L' J/ |0 g6 V> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
4 C8 D# B0 ^6 R' P+ M- q% f> 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
) H8 A# S0 l% n. }3 l> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
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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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
- b, ?) I" h0 k> game for his team.
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3 M( ^( a" Q$ T0 s. U: T> '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
( d0 h; b% L5 U7 k> into this world'.
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! P; A; ~/ }% |4 Z9 y- S> 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!
>
! `4 f, N9 a' F$ y% R/ m5 l0 [> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- O) q* k$ c7 @& C& F1 y> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 I1 U' [3 l3 R: u$ {' b, h. m> 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
> 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
- \# z4 Q7 @! h> 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
1 X/ w8 S( Y% v7 i) E> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
* E/ H- }) A' O> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ E5 R8 m: j0 L3 `$ D- d> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
# K- Z& ]7 C" W2 D* T7 k> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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' C1 l( `% B$ O$ S$ f/ R  z> May your day, be a Shay Day.