Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
; p9 O! o3 K# S3 d0 E> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; N5 O0 s! I$ b0 G: L# O> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
% h7 w( T* S( p" X- }( i' J6 n> 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:
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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
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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; i- v# m) ?4 X5 Z: ?! s& P> The audience was stilled by the query.
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3 C+ y: y' _# d& X' I  i( r> 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
0 `( ~: f+ @0 Q$ H" q$ @> treat that child.'
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' \9 |: |0 G/ h" P) N$ r4 o4 y$ y> Then he told the following story:
>
+ f* m1 n  }" P, ]' k/ [> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ a1 i# ?3 D  \+ y: z& B( }> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
; f/ q. |+ b9 J! j/ ~& P3 j0 j> 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,
2 c+ J+ U5 A. z9 ]! ~! K/ K> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ ^0 R2 h! s9 j  f> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
& \, ~# x/ J# R2 y> 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.'
>
> 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
9 h# m* K) j! z7 O> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
- m& }* G" \6 L* z> 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
" Y, i: H3 y, Y7 N3 N$ o6 v> 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.
>
* b( j2 {7 v/ a> 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
- G) X5 X4 p& V6 l. M> 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
: D$ f9 {1 A1 H4 @6 d3 @> 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
4 w$ K  q0 y# D6 t- c8 a; M> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
4 Q% Y/ ^! g- S/ E# R1 |> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
8 R5 T! s' C& _! H0 n> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
! {/ f$ d+ ?: I$ d3 o" u> right back to the pitcher.
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# f1 L5 V* i' |9 ?% h4 E5 E  u. r/ @> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 ]9 D2 `" r6 B> 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.
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> 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
  O0 o: C3 V/ r1 `# L- r> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, D% C1 g& `' U& P+ J) @6 z! z> 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
1 T4 N. H2 S$ f> 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,
, G- x& h. o' c) t> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
9 w0 h9 @: J* l> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
: E8 Y- \- o/ K8 F% G& a- y> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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
/ ~+ A3 q( o* ?7 f5 T0 W8 T& X> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
4 Z( c! u( k* ~* W/ w! T' x> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
1 h! f& n, K5 K> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
* f; K" w8 d, v0 I' U5 z$ K> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
; Z3 b/ x( ^9 h: q' ^# X> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
2 e8 K$ E) C* w  b; l> 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!
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> 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
* k9 w; _+ Z! B> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
5 e+ J/ T5 z/ a% Q> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
; k- w0 x% R0 a! v1 ~0 u> 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
3 n$ p8 y% [( C5 s' C5 o- }4 N> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
  _& d" J* q: U9 r) I/ A> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
# Q# m( y0 p& q& g' i! |> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
  y8 ~' t% C9 `( z5 m: }> 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
$ f$ _/ p: H+ C2 [> 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
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
% I4 Q0 V4 I  N/ k% H; K4 e3 R> 1. Delete
! v: B8 [' U6 e& T> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.