Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
9 s  H  J: B2 b9 O$ c> 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
/ J. g7 ~8 [# C9 _3 ^> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
# [4 P% K. i8 Y5 O6 c1 R> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; H- n3 m; D4 T> 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
$ w( Z& A7 B/ a7 P> natural order of things in my son?'
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1 d; Q( K8 T/ B  R3 b6 f3 Q& X> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
1 f0 f4 o9 e0 i. ]8 d> 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 J, V( d- _/ v: j> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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6 s- z' y2 j0 g> 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
3 O# ]% I* M. R3 @- T> 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
7 Q4 ]4 K' i, L> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
& B( B$ w, Y/ k> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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0 I7 S& f: @' M4 Z! u$ H> 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
& w$ {& ^' |+ b8 f4 w; i> 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
7 l8 g4 V  }# L2 d( s1 G> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
( M8 x. \3 N$ d: T9 F9 {> 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
% F( x2 w0 \! \> 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.
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8 X, O  H( p. Z+ X> 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
- Y  h$ H4 W9 P# 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
/ k( Q8 ]! Q9 d9 t8 A- {; e> 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
> 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.
( Q6 I: e( {- j2 E' `" w. {> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
% u* t+ `% u- M2 B% I> right back to the pitcher.
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* i7 X( ~& G7 \2 U% V/ r( |& O> 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
, ]" A1 o( f( g/ {  H+ [, S( r> 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
1 Y$ {* d- x2 r0 x5 N/ m3 N> 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,
6 @! I! P/ q" B  L% O4 p. H> wide-eyed and startled.
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- V- c  d1 F* _: X3 ^> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 t# s( S/ S/ T9 m$ Q> 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
0 c! f! j1 J6 v, y9 [> 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,
# l8 a1 |' e. Y0 K> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
  F3 p* V& q/ b: E, ^3 Z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
' G6 F# u! X8 g" n: J* T; e> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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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> 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
9 Y( c: u# w! N> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
7 s$ U8 }; n1 w> game for his team.
>
5 P) W$ \" b  H  W: K9 N> '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'.
>
> 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!
>
> 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
  Z( d7 L4 E/ S7 {7 V> 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.
>
' A" C6 J0 a+ A5 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
9 o+ Q' d/ T" }  ]  w$ H> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
! ^8 d- V- }8 l0 k6 X> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
- v/ I" ?. w& Y5 c> 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
% O6 f5 f8 }& O4 e  ]> 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.
1 ]/ |2 o% O+ g3 K$ \4 s>
> You now have two choices:
* q, k+ j" ~4 @# @2 V: G> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.