Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ S$ a3 s/ D5 F5 [9 l4 J2 u  c> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
- A' H" x. O& t# b2 d: o0 |> 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
4 x: q* \) C; E/ v> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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0 p* q8 U! [$ H! q5 A> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
" s$ T; R: O6 |! }# l7 l2 V> 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
' R( B% Y* x: \9 n& R+ ]% t> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
4 \6 Y8 l; T& Z! n8 Z# L# |> 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
9 {" d  |8 @  B0 `8 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.'
>
3 P+ S" j  T" F, |4 B5 o; A+ F> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 D7 {% o: h* r. t- n- ]& l> 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
0 B. Q# o4 `+ Z- z8 T( l0 |> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
% I1 K2 w0 `! x2 A% P6 l' @7 f$ y; O> 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
5 P0 n- I/ ^- N7 a> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
9 e; Z" D. K; z4 k, a) ?7 J& o> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
, Y' _; p7 S  _# o> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
3 p9 U0 d+ Z2 }> next at bat.
>
5 [8 F9 @/ Q- `: w" ~> 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,
! B% l' q; ^, z2 f* ]5 k> much less connect with the ball.
, R6 X3 h! Q6 c$ f  ~) ~8 w> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
% m) {6 i: Z# ?* _# s> 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
> 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.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: z1 O2 C8 V8 l' x' V/ e! i' S9 T> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
, V4 w9 j, @, u6 J+ F> 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
> 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.
>
9 h# |4 Z* u* F8 V- T/ L; T> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
( v; W) N) {( P: q> 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
' T9 n( M+ S& ^4 Q> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
# L3 e" w+ x' x6 l. g& @  R- v% y> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
2 Q) I: P' i/ \8 U- ?> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
4 A4 L9 y8 e; v, ?2 o# H> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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6 b( V7 [. j$ H( L> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 b5 E  N- s1 ]* X4 m+ F> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
! M$ H5 Q  @; w6 h>
> 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
; R5 R& A1 \# S/ B$ c0 O> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
% f3 M1 ^/ x: o* T- F# P> '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
, ^) P5 C6 ]4 Y' m> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
6 q. [7 C: B$ `! s> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
% P* X6 K5 u3 a6 J9 k5 E6 _>
! q: Q& }0 K) S. S. [' ?& x9 j> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
. y- g$ F1 @& E- 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
> 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
5 G9 q3 F0 }' o) _; z> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
5 O7 M" L1 j' m! S> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
+ `5 b: y/ z( B$ ^' Z8 M> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
% v- c: K' j! z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 j& V; K" \4 C> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
# V# q8 w  u0 l$ K7 H> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
5 O* ~7 r: Z4 @; K% G> May your day, be a Shay Day.