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
> same choice?
# n/ n  D, ?6 u- c$ |/ }>
> 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
# t& I8 |3 r- F  H9 V6 w% R, B2 v> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
& q( a2 c# F8 U  a4 L& ~" v> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
+ M/ Y+ N% {. t6 j> 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.
>
" K$ ]; w. x8 F( o) {5 d> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
- y6 C2 J: ^6 s4 b6 A> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 t* z* |! v! j6 d" ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
2 m) _% ^% L" s5 U>
6 x4 z2 }3 ^; v( X, c> 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
& ~3 V, C* i% y* l4 j! ?> 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,
" S+ f- h6 w" t> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
: `1 o; `. x  F9 W> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
( X$ u! w+ t! T8 [+ L>
9 r- [# x" o# Z- K" k> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- }7 [5 K6 j* X4 }6 J> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
& j& |; B3 r" |* H7 r  @> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ q, d  i( T5 u/ _, s- W, o> 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
- Z1 l8 C# J. `3 b" Y$ k1 ~8 L> 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
, U0 B7 ~" U* |& g9 a" v( q: S> 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
% I8 a1 H2 h# V& j, T> 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,
# a+ `$ e( ]- K# L# t, v) ?; w> much less connect with the ball.
' i& {0 c: g7 l* H> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
- A  D5 ~3 N( Z/ W0 P. Y> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
# f  F) \% E( d* N1 m1 B> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
, D8 @% O7 _1 u3 l0 m; U# y+ H> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
3 r  u2 A' w5 L1 [  H0 a: z1 \> 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.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: r, c2 v( R; y/ l; M> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
) }6 X! B& G/ _; V8 K1 n' y> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
  B5 ~0 c$ S# ?* p> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
) T4 @0 R& H! o5 x8 f> 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* `" L8 |> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
8 K9 v3 y7 Y8 E4 H. B: ^; b8 u> wide-eyed and startled.
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> 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
9 g3 r/ A" j! v( w. R4 q> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
! y  b$ X6 E! [; z& Q* ~> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
& y* x6 T- t2 m5 g, d# j% e> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
7 G7 `  f* q5 z  E+ O# t> Shay, run to third!'
% J+ R8 P+ _4 r. e; ?>
; \, a6 E: Q4 D" j/ M0 T2 H> 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
> game for his team.
>
/ Y5 ?  }9 \' u3 x' X% P> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 n, z. ?0 O  a0 B; T  V> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
9 J6 k3 i, [; ^  s7 L> into this world'.
  L' u5 v2 m- Q>
: ~3 \# |0 ?: `- G  ~0 M> 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
( _+ z7 p: h& ~$ e+ D. @6 {  O1 T> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
9 ?; x$ A! y5 U/ m% K) o: t> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
# u3 x5 G2 B. i& ?> 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
8 Q" \: M. }5 V! S' q. q& n> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
% `8 x: a2 l2 G> '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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
- O) }% j: m% L: i% Z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
& H+ J# Z5 Q8 K# ]  h; W> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.