Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
' ?3 x- \1 j$ ]> 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
: q8 R+ S, n( ^0 N> same choice?
* W" N, w/ A7 b0 S, B* R>
> 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
+ p  M+ z' h8 l> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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
+ m3 `# h; {/ J( Y> natural order of things in my son?'
; _; d0 {6 x4 a/ f>
) g( k$ O; D3 s1 X> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* [# u% A. h9 [3 t; x! Z> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ E- Z+ P: A! e> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
- ?+ A$ b% b& E4 k> 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,
7 d2 }% Y7 ~$ J& k' s' T: C; Y8 {7 N> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
  d' T( q9 f8 a# `>
> 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
7 K( A7 y: W, [8 s  J! m1 |> 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
> 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
: n4 Y+ y" |) h: h! n% C> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
, v  f  I" ^" T> 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
# j* v0 P0 U3 s7 o8 Q> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
. w4 }  j4 f$ x/ N4 [7 @( Z> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
  k; e. n0 Q. v> next at bat.
>
> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
/ c) E. Z' [% r> 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
3 w7 h- R, X- d7 W, H) g% [7 P> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
$ ]2 L0 F* N# ]! V> 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.
- e3 R0 \0 \% z4 A7 P>
> 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.
>
7 r; \1 M0 }& x5 s9 y- j; Y1 S* m> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* x: X( b  t% z$ G> 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,
1 b2 m& r/ s. n. a; X> wide-eyed and startled.
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, T) B2 P) q1 x/ i( F> 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
, ~  y: E, x6 c$ i7 E2 y> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
: k8 }6 u  L: w  B/ J> 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,
/ T3 G* m. {( f5 X; m9 `> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
& Q4 j  \6 w. x1 n& R( C> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
6 i- t2 W1 |% f- _; J6 \) ~5 M> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
1 P1 e# Z' `- v2 b& V2 t> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
! b1 G5 @& t6 {8 p5 l) ]5 I; j> 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
8 M2 U3 a* }5 O" R> game for his team.
* J' Z* w5 W. d5 K5 f  _>
5 k5 H5 Y# a/ v7 v  R4 |. z( c> '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
* [  Z) O1 _) ]> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
- G+ K" u0 K: M# x0 o. o) k> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
& q1 f, V, v  U" T6 e: J> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
8 f  S: A9 D/ J' r/ i. q6 y> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" E$ @4 u  e9 V/ ]> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
7 [! H; O. {1 A6 W: {; `+ s> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 p% `' Y& B  s# u& q# }1 f> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; ?- C/ F1 N) z% p> '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
" M9 ?% c; [% X9 N# O- }8 ~+ P> 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?
5 E- \) C& ?# g( J+ Q+ m& c7 r' i/ Y>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
. i+ a/ P2 A; @>
> You now have two choices:
. ~. L; {: {$ _9 Z( @> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
0 f5 E( |$ s1 ?! ^* t> May your day, be a Shay Day.