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
" R& w3 D& Z) b# l# U> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
& J2 j$ Z; \' b3 d5 c4 C+ d> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 e% {* Z6 J. l+ c" f> 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
> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
, [. ~  o: p1 ], \> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
' I+ w( n2 e: f$ u> 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
) X0 O/ q& n" M% z> 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,
( [0 @. W+ V1 P. v6 Y* y* r> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
: a9 s9 `) k9 t3 L: z" e" l# R> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
. B- m, d7 A3 S0 t) D> 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
1 V' v( W. W( _( T% K> 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
0 z1 U  C0 G, a2 T4 f> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
, C# N* T5 Y! G5 b. J: F3 q$ D> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
$ q  H8 X! w+ [9 p> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
3 G5 l' L( P5 Y! J) ^8 `4 |+ L( u> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
/ b4 j' }+ `3 ?' J% T> 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
8 U2 h0 E5 i8 D6 t/ Z> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
) ?! R; H& ^0 T4 w3 M> 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.
>
6 t* G6 m7 N% S) X  W) Q- K> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
* K+ y& R$ S& `8 U+ h> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
+ p$ v2 x9 i1 k- N* ?9 b, c* N, g! r> 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
> 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
> 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.
. x1 r! Q4 @$ n. n+ `/ E2 `0 s5 V9 h7 m> 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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5 x5 o" b* c  J. {' G  v. b$ G! [> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: J0 ?5 _0 L2 v$ F( i) N> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
) s4 b/ l" Q# @3 W+ ]) P6 c0 Y> 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
> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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7 w  k4 c& U4 r  F) W* k& W- i> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) |! ?- P; i5 L1 K, S9 S# f> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
0 w& I& ~9 p& ]6 S3 a) W% M* M> 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,
8 z8 \3 }* N+ M( Z- `> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
2 n) n2 ?( Y! X* r: E3 Q6 K- ~$ K, c> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
# n* D' j! u( C3 O8 t: x  e$ c> circled the bases toward home.
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  I0 B. U* l) z4 W> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
, F5 y5 d2 k) T0 v: _2 n' K6 k> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
  |* E# r) }8 f8 m. Z% F! Y> Shay, run to third!'
>
( V; f* |; B" D% c: v> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 i) x; @9 w' P$ O7 M/ l0 w2 x> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
, m& N' M- o9 |' I5 F  Y% p, Q5 K> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
1 \# o& P+ j/ u' \+ s0 U> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ s- W2 S, o- ~: H7 @& R# ^3 R/ ?> '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!
>
> 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
: h. `* X6 o" D$ p- |> 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
. A  l: t! B1 u) }) \9 _, S> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
# \# c1 Q' Q/ ~" V8 m> '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
6 u3 o1 @9 w5 u# X: e) J> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
/ [6 \* r/ K& \. D. J> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' G9 O/ `; k0 F1 g# g> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
  h  Z9 K& H4 B- H9 Y% Z> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.