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?
>
> 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:
>
> '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
) l3 H7 {( V+ j9 ]3 Z/ Q8 M> natural order of things in my son?'
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1 l2 _  ]( s1 S9 B" P5 ^# Z7 F> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
3 I3 I! C" N4 _9 W( c* A& I& y> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 A( S0 J. H5 X+ ?0 @/ z" G6 ?- ?# q> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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8 D/ p( e- }3 \- G> 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
* v; B0 M& D# Q, f4 {, C> 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,
! w) H3 O; l1 H0 L1 Y' v! D> 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
$ r$ ?0 u: a) 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
> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
6 I- N$ ?5 a7 u. [> 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
5 v' Q  ^, z. R1 r% l> 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
  w, l: u; \& [; n1 A/ Z% P' S> 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
> next at bat.
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1 ]6 s7 a* h+ E> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ V  g6 V7 q7 F! r! N: P> 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,
# T$ L6 z) L8 _> much less connect with the ball.
1 v) i# @4 o7 i1 X7 _$ b3 m3 C- o* u> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
$ G! G; V8 f5 c3 e, L+ V" s> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
6 G3 R* U7 @, P& [> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ o. W7 i0 ]$ P, f> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
) d* p' x* r) R0 b# I> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
+ c+ J! d; t3 _& g( d0 _9 V& o> 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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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
* f* H- J: ]3 t% a- \5 ~> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
& i6 C/ i; N7 u+ K  K1 u$ H; s" a* I4 F> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
4 K2 ^  s7 [0 e/ P" x* o> 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
> 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
# W& m7 l8 j  J. V. X> 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
/ P$ V8 ?( N. K; J> 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,
0 V* S7 a+ O$ ~  q( z; z> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
) Z0 r1 X4 n3 A. `> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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5 ]3 H9 d% ?% |9 i' q> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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! v5 Y; P& l5 G% i. Z> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
! g# Z) n, F6 z  u' Z9 T6 Q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
- s/ ~. |- K! S  ^3 p& I> Shay, run to third!'
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. [& J) r/ @' t. o> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 p$ v3 g6 w) ~2 s- e> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
. q1 x- M4 p  f' f> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
: Q. K7 ?. J, r3 J! p7 Q: Q5 A> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
/ @& P: N( X* D! ~! x( w- y5 i2 K> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
8 Y% Y: S# B: O3 v$ p+ x* J> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
0 E2 N# D& s) c> 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.
>
5 Z! k0 Z& O9 n: C- \2 \3 q. _+ ]4 F5 y> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
2 p+ b; g9 b3 q> 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
9 g9 v6 p' `* z3 w> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
5 C+ Z  _- u0 {% F% L> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 R3 r* W9 G. H+ H( m> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
: ]- V- e. n: H8 ^> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
! x! g. f  y% |" {) M: Z/ r6 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
6 P' h! A1 Q2 o4 N) A# e> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.