Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
% s! b, W8 [9 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
; C8 t& K/ C9 W* m3 n, B7 X> 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
) k6 M2 W8 P8 G3 b  |: k> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
5 e7 J2 R" d& Y> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
. b2 |: H9 h# L: ~( t> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 @) |; @  k- c) n) @  \, t, B' L: n( k> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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& y, v0 e' d; H8 f7 Z> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
2 x& H6 `0 V6 Y0 X: t/ i& ]> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
; w* {, h7 ^% X9 `" k> 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,
) E- H. {$ `2 m& O" E  F) W> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
% u) C* S3 @  w% u# q4 Z# Q> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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! l4 p/ Z. H1 t" ]9 s7 `> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
% @$ I1 ~5 E! ~9 |> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
! n: ^% x4 f: `' t9 \( o7 G> 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
6 J% r) J* p  Z. `0 K> inning.'
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- c' S6 q6 N8 |2 n, U/ d! q> 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
3 E, o) b* k, D1 M" g, U> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
8 v- ~6 s1 @+ |> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
0 t8 _" k  ^3 Y> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
% y9 v2 M9 [# i. ]> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
- ^8 s3 k+ X. x! G> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
5 S" |; k6 d! ^5 j# W> next at bat.
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/ H% n8 w, S4 C! P7 Z> 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
2 x' k' M# B; S) m: p. \8 v; c* g> 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
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
9 p# o- x. T0 X$ ]2 K! F% M4 j> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
) H3 C* {) W, D+ W+ I* p> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
& n# @" J- ^5 i) o> 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
! Z9 g1 q4 e: L9 A! z& ?8 C> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
! C2 F$ [! s6 S; e0 o7 N7 D9 z" L> 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
; R8 P, V: D) M3 d4 s> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
- y. X( s9 \8 E( r9 O' `+ _> 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
: u2 P- l1 F9 l8 z# M> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
/ H; t. y- }- n; \$ H$ X> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
8 d# r# u, H1 ?4 b9 s% x2 [> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
" D/ c3 f: O+ l9 S> 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
1 _2 `8 `* ]/ {# q# M3 K5 M0 K> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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1 X% v1 [& q9 m/ q& O" Q  n$ G> 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!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
% w4 u$ g/ l3 y& C> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
  J' ~, Y3 s  t& o* Q> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
>
  a. m  u8 m- [+ c9 h> 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
  \. X$ ^, R% V7 g4 i> 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
* E& ~0 {0 i& t0 [' G> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
> 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
6 i4 z5 g% T; C+ d9 _> 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
+ J+ t6 m$ M' t- f  A0 D> 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.
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& @# I: z1 |3 V+ G$ U> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.