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
> same choice?
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> 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
> 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
% b- u; V1 {6 y* h/ L3 \* d) |3 T$ I> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
+ s  r# ]% |( U% z& c& M5 e> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
- ]1 P% \) k+ n; X) f> natural order of things in my son?'
>
! V0 y4 J% G1 J! M. o5 C& `+ E6 _> The audience was stilled by the query.
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+ f) A! {# R/ @( m, s/ k$ f> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% _% ~" C3 D6 [) `> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
* g: M. F4 m* K( `* N5 o& Y8 P> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, g8 I2 H. Q7 m. z8 l, B> treat that child.'
>
> 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
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
- D7 O1 @5 d) \- H> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
8 w' X  c7 W7 Y> 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
: [' L, X* K1 T> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 z" ]$ J8 z% g7 i> 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
> 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
, I. B: w* Z5 k& w> next at bat.
>
0 k- P! ?- k, 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
6 L" d1 @0 Z8 {" E> much less connect with the ball.
  l- h- H4 u8 _& {. X> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
5 v2 \1 a0 A7 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.
> 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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> 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
6 [# B- A6 `' y! N/ ^> 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
5 X' z* p8 _6 N* K* \" a> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
2 j$ E0 @$ g% C& x> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
% P- d: _* Z9 T. I0 m/ _  J3 \> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
6 S' `. {  H8 H7 Q8 W7 @/ n8 M, O> 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
4 R* n; q& M% U% H' Y8 S' Y> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
. u( l2 x/ @6 q* {* I; 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
& L# n6 L3 N- ?; z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
- h/ d' D+ b! Y% E* p> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 J# C# [' H9 b1 A! h% E> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
7 O' H8 a- ]+ V" I# u0 j  E> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
8 }& Y" q+ \% e; Q> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
( Q) a% z% b% ?: V. X' W- t: m> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
4 T3 |, H  r3 _2 C+ o* y+ q> 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!
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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
' W6 I9 A  R3 B4 X% ~> 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.
>
0 e+ N( D, ^! u7 L! p> 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
1 R) y9 K/ c9 s7 z/ b3 M> 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
0 c5 {8 d5 b) P; U0 o> 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
9 F5 x" J% H3 l% L% B" L4 r> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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3 h! C$ Q& X  Z/ Q: x> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
' c8 ]0 A0 [: `. k6 ]/ X> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.