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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* T& p! m- v; y) D! p2 Z! ]> 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
, X& K% q) X2 w) v' q, p> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
% A0 R+ B2 B7 P3 S5 H' c* R* I> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
& a& z3 U4 v4 F: q0 a> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
, i: z4 W& _, U% W> The audience was stilled by the query.
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2 N3 _% y- q) M- Q1 D% j2 a> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 }* f% h2 ^* X3 [5 T$ i6 {> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
; F1 l) I4 B, C/ d( Z> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> 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
% d/ d, m0 r1 }# _8 C> 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
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
* @4 f& b; ]. L0 I2 i> 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
4 ?2 ~8 g; e+ w2 K1 G. z> inning.'
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> 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
4 W0 l6 X" D: d3 G> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
5 _5 |$ G7 i5 J2 z$ n> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
# p; A7 ]' S" ?& F- H* Z1 S, r6 ~> 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
/ a. ?9 G2 T/ T, L- Y> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
( H! n0 G+ j% k1 T> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
2 m( y% N' X2 V> 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,
* l+ Z3 ~0 f5 Q# T: h( U> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
5 A& I5 {" H/ Q6 M, a3 k! {; @2 g8 M2 I* Y> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
, g* L: z# I1 J( ]9 W> 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
9 X% l5 C! v8 T> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
# e  z# d" j6 w4 o, [> 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
3 T( A. g3 Q5 N6 b! k> 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
* Q0 x1 G* }+ M9 e4 V> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
  W6 ]5 m1 s; N+ c6 V: ]: z% Y+ l> wide-eyed and startled.
>
3 m. O+ w1 ~0 L# B7 ?! ]' k* Z> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
, H7 K+ Z% h% E4 ]8 O> 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
> 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,
> 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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> 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
" x% y8 s/ b7 H" W: ]' b' t! V> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
2 F& _( u5 O2 a0 q$ W6 [, z> 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
% g! O# f8 }$ f5 }> game for his team.
>
) u7 K9 R6 ~# ]8 r> '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
/ r3 w& t; L6 Y" z7 |9 r; l- g( `# i5 Y> 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
# ~/ O- \6 `' B" F$ `> 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
, L9 ?. F2 L9 i% X. W) x> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
9 M9 Q: b- {6 x7 {; @  C$ W: L> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
* v' z; e8 X# M2 @; w. o1 Z> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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1 j) l- |7 i" A! `9 j9 ]1 i! s> 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
" }. E' Q8 G$ P. g8 \( ~) n> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
1 [3 A( T7 U& F, E) q3 _> 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
: t- c) e* I+ J& w% y> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
7 L" @- E4 \# W" G' K2 ^, T> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
3 n0 O2 X* d* @& |# P( s1 b> bit colder in the process?
>
1 w; r* X& B+ ?* t# d> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* Z7 f9 M; T. q. `+ E- j> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
6 G% P8 D/ w. x# n4 o* Q( z> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
. }: m2 u% I* N3 ^% r> May your day, be a Shay Day.