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
> same choice?
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5 n$ ^/ Q& P8 [, S> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
4 e, t% {5 z+ \) z, z  b$ {6 X> 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:
>
% z+ z6 q, n4 a! y- H& X; P. @$ j> '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?'
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4 x, f1 |6 a0 T, N4 @! p> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
" {! e) X1 I) v> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# h$ h, w) t$ z8 v$ `> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
) s2 {( r6 _) n9 ~> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' \( e* J5 F+ _1 V1 b) ~  E> 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
> 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
0 y# k" K3 U: c! F3 L$ T> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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$ I- |+ z. J. E. U0 ]> 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
> 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.'
>
4 b* e9 o# S- C+ m> 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
7 I& h% e# n6 y# g# {0 a& B> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
7 A+ N, F. A1 e/ O; V2 y( n> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
( z- h5 O& V5 Z. m& ]3 U> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
; \/ @* |: a+ t1 d$ {0 o5 K, U> 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
# u3 e5 n6 I0 z" Y( b> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> 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,
5 z+ k1 H7 j7 F8 A5 ^> much less connect with the ball.
8 e; K5 ?9 U) l0 S6 `! M> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
4 y8 o7 X  ~  V. G& `, U" g4 i> 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
# J% Y) G7 `0 I% X9 G+ @> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
% }6 ]% h8 O( @- t; `> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
8 C% y/ v4 `% R# s; E9 ~4 F; c> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
2 ~# L8 \. x3 _5 n3 a. t> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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.
>
; P& a. Q* q4 {: O. X> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ K" c# F7 M1 h$ w2 G4 T> 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
8 s6 Q& l# X# ]# m8 Q> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> 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
9 |8 f, Z/ }, S> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
  U( P& @# Z$ n1 n# ^6 U> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> 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
, I6 ?3 R* e8 [4 H: ]1 p" B> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 C+ y4 R7 ^4 X> circled the bases toward home.
>
5 P# o6 Q* o) S$ k! X> 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!
; y3 Z; g6 r" ~: s6 T# `> 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
> game for his team.
>
- F0 r/ U5 O% b5 E! w" d5 h> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 `' w/ u. N" |2 F" I( s# c9 Z* |> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
, ?" h4 j. D% p6 U* \/ Z" f> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
( `. S( @2 h' j0 Y* H> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
5 @0 ?% D: f! k+ Q" p8 ?> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
+ u" }8 Q( }& U7 H5 {' Q  o> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. L! n& J( `, p3 z: Y6 n  n7 c> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
: K. C. z9 x2 S) b>
> 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
/ Z; B& k  w1 T* G6 p> 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
; L, U/ V& U& ^8 W" E0 ]7 g> 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
- F) t9 a3 u5 B' m$ K5 @2 h1 B> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 d, a* N- X+ B; _> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
/ p; D' J- R8 g7 ^, O+ g& ?2 |> May your day, be a Shay Day.