Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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8 v, z% S# I1 D0 R4 z) }> 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
5 d( n# L5 `) f5 C+ J> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
% n8 w2 ?$ B3 I> 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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: e9 j9 P* N4 v2 a> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 D4 t" M2 z2 S: J% Z' d+ \& _( F8 m> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
1 G0 U5 W$ h" J3 q- Y2 r> The audience was stilled by the query.
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( {1 \. |/ b! w3 {> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% J" k) g4 e/ c> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
  g7 m# W# }7 ^. f> treat that child.'
>
$ Z4 B3 y& D( i4 G> 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
" l9 T: m$ t, O- j* b* a( s1 H; F> 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
% q/ q2 P  y* ^. I; E> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
4 R+ c* m/ J8 f> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
4 p1 e8 w- w' Z+ k- n' f> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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- Z" J8 d% [3 X) I' L; k& J> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# h2 v5 v) z" s2 ~> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
6 D1 P$ a0 `9 B% j. T> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
" M4 l+ `. P1 @' O) S  t, |3 _> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
, g! O) `6 H/ l* A4 x; X> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
3 A9 H+ k2 r- L! I, K> 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
4 W/ ~! q$ j' r: A! t> 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
  P8 l3 f2 D* v, K* j> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! l0 n2 x- e* v> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
" t9 Y/ q# y6 p> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
9 ~$ T: l( J$ Y4 _9 [> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
> 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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, d6 k% V0 G9 c; \1 J( Y> 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
> 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
  y7 a3 J$ Q1 P# O0 r- \3 b4 A> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
# W$ O) @7 V" r) b4 M. P- U> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% j4 q- F9 l7 T> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
' I! J% T& Z6 P5 R> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
# @0 ~! k- @& l) @4 l* h- I7 K0 A> 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
7 ?" W# s/ D. N: w# ?( H> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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- j3 F1 x) s' L> 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
> 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
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
$ _# A* k& k) e/ q8 P: V> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
( `- J$ Y  E# s9 [  T& }8 h" b> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
2 w2 v6 s! J* v: D% C$ ?> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
5 M, T, V' T+ f4 T1 I+ r, x+ ~> 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
+ l& u8 c- w0 i+ o; e) p> 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.
>
$ K/ f4 A/ S4 o5 M> 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
6 k4 c/ s7 b- w3 Q4 P) V> '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
+ @/ N+ `5 W+ n" ^% t6 f> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
# _2 h+ p3 C  G; r, C> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
) a8 ^4 p8 ?, y0 ]> 1. Delete
$ y$ u7 _: X& L( X  ?8 A4 D+ v9 o+ N> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.