Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
8 t# R% D3 `1 v' j; C> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
* V" w/ G3 v. p2 L) [5 Q> 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
  o4 ~3 ~% U, \% G5 {> 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
! \. M+ K! F( F* `* T5 |> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
* A2 u, I0 k) C2 k> natural order of things in my son?'
>
# Q! c( r" s) x7 [1 h3 ]( C> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
; ?1 K% D& G; n* j8 }> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 V3 o  X$ u' X9 x3 b% z> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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7 F0 V/ _, H, T5 g> Then he told the following story:
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7 w& h. H; y7 `0 M8 `> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
% D2 |6 Y9 F2 w. j: E> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
7 x# y+ D/ X5 n> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
& T% q" ]3 c: r% ?> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' M; y5 |6 U# q4 d> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
5 W. y) W6 I0 V& `> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
2 g( T# b  f  F( p0 }0 R- G% B% ?> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
1 r! w2 n7 \& s! A) Z1 F! e: b> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
6 x: K& H: E# {7 g6 I$ N> 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
- Q9 h0 G0 a) o) B, z2 w7 y5 i+ p> 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
> 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
  N! u& f! C$ W' R> next at bat.
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% P, A( ]/ l7 `. v> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
' P# }* w5 S: R% Z$ g. @> 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.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
) Q2 |+ ?' X1 `# `/ g$ q2 d2 k> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
1 `; \/ u" Y0 y0 ]1 F- l> 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
! Y( L# C8 g/ k5 D> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
' E0 P* @6 z7 n( a1 h9 f. ]( x9 `7 S8 c& v> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
0 p5 z! K4 E+ V% P  p> right back to the pitcher.
>
' A. l# A$ ?- [# z2 x> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
: N* O: z$ c1 L5 Z$ l) v3 |7 g2 s> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
  W0 g4 Y0 W3 Y7 q9 k2 P/ \> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
/ Z" c$ `! b+ e* B; _6 \5 k> 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
> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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3 \+ h& J  c+ t3 p( C5 C8 [> 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!
' |2 G. S+ w+ P) |- `# @8 D1 S> Shay, run to third!'
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; s# U: G+ c! \& a2 ^$ X( I> 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
/ x+ M; m* C) M# T' ^4 X' e. U> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
1 w# N# Z  l  z> game for his team.
>
> '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
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 a1 n0 S- h# S2 \, |> 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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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
. d5 V5 l- H& Z2 Q$ D> 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
0 k  e3 U/ ^  L. C- Y) g> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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6 g, p- ^9 t4 |  o2 }! A3 Z> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' P! ^. Z+ a! {2 _> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
9 k' j: v, F: C2 A; z6 q/ x# 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
( g' O0 o8 k: G1 E, p, `3 P> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
% \( ?0 w2 I& @' f5 M/ x> 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?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 F" b7 R! n! a7 Y9 c> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
( L0 I$ o/ z. F6 \4 Y1 Z+ o> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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5 ?/ x- Z1 H; d> May your day, be a Shay Day.