Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; B: `% G+ \5 z2 D  l$ w> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
6 j) E5 s" Z% k- y( Z. u> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
- z9 ]2 K1 U1 I& y# k, |1 _> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
7 u1 c; u% B; ~# B3 @7 G# L> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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! S$ N9 y  \5 H5 _+ T/ z: K: @> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
& O0 p$ n) Y  b> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
  v+ X7 y3 p, ~5 p9 D" e  [> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
/ u% ~3 m/ H) a' b, k6 j1 ^> natural order of things in my son?'
>
' z5 r7 o* g* F' t, v6 D; q5 _> The audience was stilled by the query.
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( o2 X/ L1 R1 m0 O& ^6 a/ a% c. L> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
" I" h3 [% }) p' n9 |" P9 J7 ^9 P  x> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
" w. ?( j2 D' I& {# d> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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$ `$ k2 T" S6 b# H, g4 K: u> 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
> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
4 P' j4 Y( B) V, o- p> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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- I, [8 U. I* G' ]- A> 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
7 s( t0 k# c/ Z& y! o4 p* Y& `> 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
! l2 P9 u5 b. t) H; P( u0 a) d> 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
9 U) Z% D3 R: g9 L- s> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
5 W  ]; j- L, h9 c" n, k- T  x> 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
( {7 u4 y" ]9 ^+ f9 ?) `8 s; f> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
$ @: P& T6 |, P+ _9 K4 q, f> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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' \+ B; B4 d9 `! v+ y: t' C0 q> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
8 O3 L  x* L! Q3 S> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
* D% ?( @# {- }8 n> 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
3 {0 U: B% p# w; t. S5 Z. J2 T> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
+ D. R+ a/ B- S! u* u5 C> 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
2 g: S8 W+ j9 ]> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
7 v/ x9 p9 ^& C> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
& x! I# A7 u# S> right back to the pitcher.
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8 ^( ?( x) A/ Q' n> 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.
>
+ G' n% E/ u# s7 g> 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,
! g: W3 `! v/ l* g! R> 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
> 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
- C( [; x6 D& c+ D  Z6 A> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
4 Y1 ~: j& z: m# I) `" l> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
& H5 o' O- t0 G, F> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
6 [  y& y% X9 l9 A) ?: y> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
( Q& f8 N( m2 c" X> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
+ u6 R- K! t; u! q! `- k> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
2 r8 N( Y( m8 X  l5 J, F> 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
. x. A8 ?: r' t# f# S3 C2 F! G# G> 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,
> '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
" O7 b1 l2 F/ `& r0 R: {# X. T5 D4 s> 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
> 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.
>
% ]( h  }" ]: y  x" |9 k> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
3 a/ ~/ D& h, c2 _> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
! m2 t6 |; |4 _2 K. W> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
7 E" r5 w4 X/ e5 o7 w/ @> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
) s$ y7 y0 p+ p6 f5 Y# R5 o> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
. g6 I+ }$ \0 V4 v+ ~0 N( A> 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
* W5 H1 x: v2 `) q# P$ s> bit colder in the process?
. D1 l8 j$ z+ X9 e: \>
' M/ Z+ P* g- ^8 R> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 `: I. |) p, P6 I2 Y1 }> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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( Z% b& [' }! U7 ^  D4 S5 E> May your day, be a Shay Day.