Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
# f, s" @  ^8 N6 l> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
! [# H6 ~0 J+ ^% K! r> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. i, M( h" f" T0 R' q6 F' u( u+ H> 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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% M1 e7 ]4 @+ O> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) a% g' Y+ R3 [> 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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0 `8 }! H% `3 W9 W' G. p> The audience was stilled by the query.
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0 V2 L* I- W" z  J& d9 D1 Y/ |> 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
: b6 j) ~# {5 j; v+ o+ u> treat that child.'
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9 z4 m& A- |8 H% ^  b3 S& R> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
+ p& V( Y# S5 O$ ?) v: X  a> 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
/ A" t, i/ D5 H! m0 ?. d> 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
> 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
0 H7 W" N  a" ~$ a/ I, U( V( A> 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
  J  l8 W/ l" S- B6 _9 m  [> 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 B9 r$ v, |$ Q$ X+ f( v1 m> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
> 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
% A% m% Q5 r$ W* C1 k0 F> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
0 @  G# E, J, n  M1 f> 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
* h5 x, c, N! W7 ]8 U> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
$ U& [+ K" c3 R- L: [4 B> next at bat.
>
> 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
" {7 v, A( ]' a9 _" c5 T> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
% x+ L9 E' K6 s2 T7 u$ i> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
- T" Q8 O. V- N+ P$ M> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
: M# {* J, h, d9 X1 {3 H, [> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
7 ]+ }8 ^. u: E( I! T> 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.
>
# |$ \1 ], U2 g& O( D/ Q: A> 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
! n/ V2 c: o1 U% ?! y9 I> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
' F/ W1 i' x; r) w1 \; Y) N> 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
! w: F+ t3 N6 e& p> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
; ?& E! s, x7 g> 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
- Q: }+ B1 W+ E" R$ c/ P> 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
4 S! `- w/ D" X8 ^) I5 f> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
( M; L/ e: B% r7 L4 I+ C> 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
5 Q& }: |1 [6 L$ M/ V1 M& n" D> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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) ?; a% y7 {. l6 r> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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, z! ^/ v( d% Y9 j3 i2 v: ]> 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.
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5 T/ q7 G1 F8 U1 q6 t* e* V> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
7 W3 M1 U& F6 `( H" a: k> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
0 ^$ b7 [  A2 z2 P+ T> 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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7 C1 d. Q, i! X  C8 P( x) m) u> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
6 y% }3 W, G7 L> 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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2 ^7 k4 A# v& v8 L2 r6 n> 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
% d. }, o8 P1 V) @/ d- `> 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
" O: {8 l6 I; N2 j7 ?# C- t" ]> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
) Y7 Y1 y# e! y% {) j> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
5 X/ I7 s. M$ w: Q  f) ^. h" s5 C9 X> 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
( p" q9 G6 J- H* E# X> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
1 l$ F8 _* d; Q3 W0 j6 Q> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.