Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
2 u4 J3 v8 j0 M8 a8 r2 ^% U> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! N  z( w1 s- @+ t> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  N% W. g3 M9 e1 u0 R> 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
6 x5 i4 O/ v5 o9 e( p> natural order of things in my son?'
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0 q- S. G3 L2 s7 `' N> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
7 H. s: t, V( M4 G> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
) i4 D+ [! [# j> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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/ b% s2 Z6 g  _: \0 A+ x, m> Then he told the following story:
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' Y& |1 `& X3 O2 h> 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
# h3 g  O; |0 f3 S$ z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
2 I7 G6 ^) b& V4 U6 E& V8 I>
> 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
9 H8 j3 K7 g/ g1 u. _> inning.'
! O" S# u& f0 W# _>
> 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
( T5 @7 E# L% I" [3 _> 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
1 F% u  d5 A5 c/ d> 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
7 J0 T6 B* [+ B* r- Q> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
0 ~( O3 w- _. @> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
8 l+ w+ p/ D- U. \) i4 Z/ H> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
" n9 Z" ~* H' N& F% \> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! Z3 |' x. e+ ~- H/ A; a: b> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
3 U1 w  n2 F1 I& H& P! D> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
9 C) z/ i  g- ~, 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
> 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
7 n% m# ^& u8 j1 ^* p" f+ U, r& X> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 e1 P# h, H5 |8 h' D) R> 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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" T( @$ L- r' d# S4 `4 w9 E/ \> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
# \( A! r5 n1 e: r) S> 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,
' E  f6 I% I0 N1 q# W> wide-eyed and startled.
# L! h8 H$ J$ n2 _. S( V) e>
: ]  C5 o* F* L7 m> 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
' M+ G& w$ ~4 F, |3 @> 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
> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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6 x/ e# O8 {/ H5 f: a8 N2 K> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
6 Z0 H1 n, G8 B" w3 x- F& ?3 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!
0 }7 d$ k& B# d- J7 ]) R: \> Shay, run to third!'
2 j. \" z4 e; t; L* l* T>
> 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
* k, j& Y: B0 K: d8 v> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
6 |' f6 I4 Y' q# z4 B7 Q$ s0 O" }> '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
8 [3 e# T9 I  r( _" b9 x$ o; I' o* Z> into this world'.
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8 O3 U; z$ J- v$ _8 F* r> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 ~; |- a. o5 {, Z> 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!
>
& E: _0 m+ m' r( [$ {4 v; S> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
5 A! `$ ?$ P& e. e; {$ J+ K. G7 N> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
) X7 I% w5 U. P> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
! c9 Y) r- t" g> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
' K9 r- N8 K. ^: Q+ Q$ j+ j> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% o$ f" B% k# b6 m, `; a> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; S( o6 e5 e9 S> '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
! ^( l# L1 N5 j! j( }5 |$ O+ ?> 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
' z2 r1 C7 y' M7 z* [# [: ^1 L> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
; Z8 L) u4 ?! L2 X( Y# T> 1. Delete
% l$ d* C* c; D/ g> 2. Forward
7 C) t% T7 I' ?2 ^# Y2 b3 i>
; Q' V/ G0 c* u. w* k* w7 T> May your day, be a Shay Day.