Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 |9 }7 u( \; ?- M! S> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
, z7 q$ l; i" ^  h: a; K> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
- x8 w- C. D% e( m0 \" p/ R- y) Y> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
+ o- r$ ]$ R9 Q8 Q: k> 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
> 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?'
>
* U- l0 S' r) _9 J7 R; o> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
9 i4 f* d% p; z8 L> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 F. y6 ~8 Z3 Y! P> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
, H  |% g* }0 l2 |+ t( D> 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
; V3 O5 R& O- s6 E( E, E2 ~0 d> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
- v! v6 K. o, p7 {6 r> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
& F1 ?# F% L5 Q6 v" L3 v> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
- l. Y4 `. n3 k7 q. Q( d7 L6 V> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
) v9 [" ~  D9 m4 f; A1 x> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& O- A' d, Q; ~> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
0 ~( B# I6 W+ K9 K' p> 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.'
6 Y* i- S/ i7 {6 Y- X>
1 I5 A2 G" c- j> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- N1 v! C) a, B> 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
9 i" w9 W& J1 [: X' V: i& @5 @> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
2 F. u( }% Y# L6 e, P7 e> 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
4 \& r! }  r# M- B) Q7 _  U> next at bat.
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> 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
, o7 D8 k9 n5 t> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
4 `2 U# ~, ~" v8 c% t  h> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
) C2 i- m0 [1 x& B4 z! S9 w> 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
, @$ L. @- o3 m3 h> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
+ X& I5 \. D3 I( I/ v> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
2 `* X, L( K3 d. t> 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
- Q" j& o1 m( T0 \: e0 k2 G> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
8 v' r- K8 C1 L+ c" j8 V> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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$ Y$ f! l% v1 {, @> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> 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,
% {! b4 `. n7 g> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 N. b# r9 O0 }+ l. z" d> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. J. Z0 A2 y7 d/ `> 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
; R% B. z( T& p; f- [: c> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
4 A# D# I' S8 h8 k, G7 x# O> 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
; i3 _* }! ?* E' s* b& P- s> circled the bases toward home.
>
2 A6 n- X+ |6 N  _) c( z> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
$ L1 _" R( Q! E> 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 r8 R# D/ W) r! c> 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
- Z; K6 g  J! T) l$ x> game for his team.
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> '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'.
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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
* V  {( a) Z, [0 l> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
5 S, {+ s% P& c) C& I) A( S>
> 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.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 M/ ~4 Z% V0 S$ u" t# s> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
7 c" p! i4 t* Q( N> '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
4 L; a, o8 F; _- |3 a& O9 U9 z% i> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
) v+ ]" y  c9 E' \! t" d5 P> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
2 R0 k- C/ m7 ~" ^0 a> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> 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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6 \0 i# s: i* F  w& B6 \8 H> You now have two choices:
3 F9 M/ ~$ B( s  e  w* l> 1. Delete
' P8 B+ o/ P( D( u+ F! p> 2. Forward
>
, m# R5 M# A+ B> May your day, be a Shay Day.