Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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; p  w; h) }$ K) ~> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 Q; O3 I2 ~) w2 E> 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
& ~' g+ {0 H: R6 {" Y9 q> staff, he offered a question:
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+ S: R# u; W$ G4 _7 i( t> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
+ S8 O& X9 y% i1 L7 G4 a3 q> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
2 `2 k! a  y, t& b) M' d> natural order of things in my son?'
>
9 _$ F$ {7 _) e# @" [8 j8 q> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> 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
% t/ l# O/ W8 f1 N' Y) t7 C+ M8 Q> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
! A' h' j" h% ^5 K' o> 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.
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> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
$ J7 }9 y. @- O" v/ g" l> 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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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
9 D# p5 h, K& e# @+ W> 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
, j- G- S5 n6 @( }- B0 L> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
/ v  j" r+ B) _6 X# J3 L" I> 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
. X% f; x: U5 e5 Q> 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
4 I* ?' i- g, v8 |7 t; V2 y- ^> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
  y" ]( g2 L& f7 L> next at bat.
>
$ r. e0 n& ]3 z" F( |> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
3 L# k" V' t6 N" F6 l0 w3 g/ h4 }> 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.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
) t5 D0 e! V, _> 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
( i) b% w" i2 Q. R) Y0 a1 C# G5 p> 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
$ K% J! W2 q6 n* z9 L( E> right back to the pitcher.
>
( c2 L7 H8 Z3 W& x/ C> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
- a/ y+ x: K$ P2 Z$ s- g> 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.
>
- P- k3 p! u# J' o3 }> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
  U: X0 U4 G% M7 y( H> 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
* n2 o0 E6 v5 \! q+ ?> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> 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
> 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,
4 ]! k9 d) f; V* M> 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
  K# t8 |4 B+ t$ g* z> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
6 Q+ [0 D+ q* `: t& D" a2 s3 O( h> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 }, p) g' O2 \> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
" h/ e5 l' u9 u3 v& g> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 Y2 l' Y5 ], `) s  k> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
- T  N, Q* K, ^" \& O# D> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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
> 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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$ x, P0 L( u* \> 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
+ s: [9 ?# }. H& G> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
) R; J8 a+ ~5 O& U# q. f> 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
  [5 r) q$ V/ M> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
$ }8 m" T1 f6 r, X. ^3 y5 |> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
& o+ Q$ S- v- r# s; C  x7 Y> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
& J) l# M1 e! e3 y( ^2 d- ^> 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?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
& S0 O+ L7 G( U% Q8 R> You now have two choices:
  b. @( ?/ y1 H' o> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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& G2 V* }8 w4 ]* S5 V9 }( B# F' |- o> May your day, be a Shay Day.