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
3 X1 o) B2 \$ @( B$ C> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
; p, d; x% e" I3 R> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
2 M/ n# v- x( G1 n> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
" }8 i0 Z% Z3 w9 g7 |* Y4 K0 \1 `> 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
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
7 T# F9 W9 H! h# q7 R; g> natural order of things in my son?'
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, ?& K. ?5 p" I1 B4 n> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
: Y. }2 p! \- e. p4 O' P> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
3 ~' W5 f0 W" p- |& k> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
; k/ r. ^4 E) K( y* T1 Y> 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
7 f  C/ l/ o9 E( ~- V, M> 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,
- v% x6 f5 n  U, e! k> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ f& J- [$ _+ Y/ [> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
3 _" H' e' w2 p; i, c> inning.'
>
6 ^" _2 I8 d1 C/ O" H, C4 r7 b: T3 l> 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
> 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
, {! p. e0 s5 G2 q  v> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
  ?. C) |5 M+ H# O9 t> next at bat.
>
6 X3 `/ P( t3 l5 C" F! x$ A: R4 V> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
0 v. n7 I+ j1 D! M9 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,
7 Y9 s! J3 _/ \' w3 ^! r8 }> much less connect with the ball.
) ?" U7 v4 S0 m/ }1 R% l9 L3 B> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 c. a0 {! `8 \+ M2 \2 i9 p. d7 c. t> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
5 G6 `4 P# Q" E2 ^7 Y> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
: Z) b7 {+ _* b( O8 W9 t8 ?& P> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
/ i6 E8 p9 N, Y) s% o> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
% q! _6 r, x8 F* p3 [. t) `* C3 R$ t> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
8 H. U7 s) S( q' C  ?* m8 I> right back to the pitcher.
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/ d3 x3 g# L; ~3 \3 X1 j> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: P& }! o; y9 Z# C* i: ?> 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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/ }/ k- }: V* \) G1 o> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
# l& \: {/ K; A- x7 ~> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
. Q5 V: _0 H# v> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
$ W5 D; X# e3 ?5 v1 E+ ^* @> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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# d6 G/ A( y7 W> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
- k( F* ?( u; [! }> 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
$ K# E3 T+ f8 |9 @! ^> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
1 R! @: _4 u4 q" r* a> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
' ?5 X" V. a6 r; H$ i0 D> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
  T' l. u; u: y* J2 b7 h. ~> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
* c* I8 r' W, U5 c% n0 O" H> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
. D' ~" n/ A3 P. b' k8 ~> 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
7 F% r# X0 ^. M. q' [> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
6 U, ^, d# u3 g> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
- n$ l) z  U, x( N. K. ?% l  A> 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
> 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
' C+ x8 y8 M0 o: S5 `> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
$ ^& z6 [; K; p) ?> 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.
>
> 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
& S3 {/ e5 q% U9 R> '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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
( P! N% z1 ^4 t0 g* f1 q7 v> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
9 v; g& B1 k2 s5 b% H, O, @$ D1 g> bit colder in the process?
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( {! v: p1 u9 M/ h> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
8 h+ D, v% Q, K$ a8 [> You now have two choices:
' N$ u2 z- c/ ~6 e1 g( Y* @' R> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
/ F0 K* M' e! S1 C2 `> May your day, be a Shay Day.