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
! h- w8 H% d4 k, d; t7 s; U> same choice?
>
8 r5 c( [& u  h> 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
1 r1 D- [& ^  ?: E# u> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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/ ?2 U4 n8 o% ?9 s: e3 N, k) \" O> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 y$ C" D/ k. O# x8 g> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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1 ~5 {. O) b5 ?! ^$ L9 n) s> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
- L3 T) u  _/ l8 I, U> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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) F6 _' ]- O6 G: e( z, B> 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
: n8 ?; v# Z, u. K- s> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
- f& H  Y* w; w6 V! U> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
4 y/ O5 ~9 u9 K! D% i0 `> 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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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( D, K9 v, Z; {. t8 J# a# b> 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
> inning.'
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3 D+ t2 t, G# @: W3 z5 U> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! K+ ?6 ?* d. T$ M* ]; @3 {> 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
7 q; P+ w4 I0 r/ M* F5 u% Y+ R> 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
) g1 d$ @8 f6 r) r$ R9 z; D+ [> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
* x7 X' \6 ^/ v% s( W! t) r> 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.
>
> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
: h5 P5 d1 a5 h) e7 A/ \> 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
  Y) v! A* g' {. u6 K% F> 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
/ j( K/ X! i2 `' _, c  Q> right back to the pitcher.
>
; \) d8 ^7 b; Z! U. r> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' X6 F; V+ j& T> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
. @. j/ p* [& U0 R  f( l, C+ M> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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0 S' f8 }$ L) n' C  J; g> 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
& k! v" |0 f$ n/ _. _> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
3 p& f  R1 z* P3 C> wide-eyed and startled.
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. h9 V; g! ^" }9 W7 \4 H/ D8 v> 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
- f& M0 m; T" c) L7 i3 o> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
! U% I) H5 w0 q6 J6 P! i> 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.
>
* G) y4 x! R$ m4 i% n& p9 q> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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3 f: @3 H) ^; g% P9 u> 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
6 \( N* x% x* ^* j" J5 \# t, Z> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
7 x: J0 q$ ^' ^8 Q# e, P' X> game for his team.
>
5 r; B+ N  p" A" t: w. }/ Z- ]$ Z& b> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
# Z. \& [7 p( o9 d" U) X1 N4 `& ]/ S> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
: K5 L0 s* i9 R5 o2 h$ _> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' Q* O" z9 S- j4 |! ^> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
1 ]4 y5 f  `. W" O> 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
> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
" ?+ r# k: i& O0 s" P" Z> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
6 h7 N3 ]0 d9 l. @8 {+ I& |> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
! P5 Z' t+ I! X6 r9 T> 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
1 B3 [, S2 }3 Y& u> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
9 N2 ^: l  q. I9 L4 `1 P> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
4 ]7 C9 b/ N5 M  b! A( g9 Z. C; g> bit colder in the process?
>
9 @# z- d$ w. J. A: O3 E6 ?: Z& f. W> A wise man once said every society is judged by
& P: c7 q" @6 h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
% ]  a! `' o5 p# n2 q; |> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
, u7 R3 V- c: J/ i> May your day, be a Shay Day.