Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. g( `( P8 G" A( E2 j> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
/ y& e5 I1 P1 J+ _0 {> same choice?
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; I2 k; N# {2 A* J> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# n4 U) Z" O, c# Q> 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
7 [& w3 t7 X2 m  p/ P> 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
9 j* L4 [, a2 _# R4 c+ B* H! T3 E7 w> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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
6 C, d  X# {* I1 ~0 ~> treat that child.'
>
0 i/ ]0 Q! X3 f6 d  d2 Q> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
5 R. f+ j6 A$ B7 B- z* r3 e> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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# z& B; y8 [# S. o9 u/ M; ?- Z2 \, @> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& o. E3 w$ Q. h: P1 w! G2 c> 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
5 r: ~0 P7 H6 G* l; r; D& }> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
3 d& I6 q$ V- e, A* `2 E5 B> inning.'
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8 e- W( ^$ d, r; x* ~$ @> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
4 C0 q! @( s& C$ c, o7 V1 P* N! V> 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
; W! C% K  `9 b( B/ p) j> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> 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
% |9 Y$ E0 K% s1 U% ?+ ?8 }, G> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
! i2 _9 a8 L/ [3 r1 J* {2 }" r> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
6 H7 ?% K5 b) t2 o6 l) t> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 j1 {5 p% C9 m4 _> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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1 ]: {  U2 `9 p$ D7 z> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 t. Z, _- q5 g4 M> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
7 R0 [3 s, v4 a* ^> 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
% i1 N7 a' l1 n> 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,
7 j/ X8 p. t) c; I6 U. L2 s3 z5 K> 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
3 g# p: V! T: I& z: b" q% X9 D8 _> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
7 @# z1 @' F1 w/ ]0 |' X> 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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$ G7 g4 ~9 j- a, e/ m6 Y: s) |; L> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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: ^. Y4 w8 x# N9 @> 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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) `3 ?. ]- y6 E! V& V$ G3 W- X> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
! c( P9 A& I2 a+ F, F9 O> 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'.
>
; G7 b, J$ `# z> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
# E& l1 G. x4 C) J# [. N3 `+ u2 N$ t> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
9 k* }8 e0 g2 j7 V3 v> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
* Q% C+ {0 B* j6 f, X" T8 O> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 K8 R! y5 x" A. l> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 s# J7 o/ _* I( [; L> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
2 F0 @/ {7 u5 W3 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
/ Y% ?" v. x& R* Z2 L> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
+ ?- U1 K. e. L* F+ L( f# a> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
8 W3 A3 X  T0 I+ ~> You now have two choices:
. O0 v7 W8 O$ n7 P" M+ v> 1. Delete
. _( y" ?# m0 q8 ~> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.