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?
>
4 k$ I. Q. ^& `0 h9 u" q> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
1 O  a2 o+ }5 ?0 C: r+ R6 M% W6 S6 ^> 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
> 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
, i0 f4 L$ R" V> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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: V8 M, Q9 O  K/ t4 w6 T> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
% u7 ?( y' P6 Q* {> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' |) n: ]- R1 o> 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
3 U& q( M& |' R+ a> 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
8 L: |, w% c( ]/ @' D+ F. @> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
3 {2 I. _$ l; V8 y9 v$ u> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
6 r0 t- W; L; g- F! c4 P8 w9 O4 h> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# l7 t$ L  u6 B: U> 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
6 ~3 \! D- d4 k7 V> 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
, I: R6 i# F2 e  {% _> 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
> 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
/ q0 m$ K, z  o! A> next at bat.
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, Q, \+ x; d" E# ]> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 j5 h2 T8 S* l* y- H5 P> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
) _6 O- ?3 k- e+ @* D. q. c> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
$ H7 E. R: D" A3 c( h6 Z1 H% ~/ k> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
$ K7 B& Z8 H0 j9 J; M> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
, u2 v' X5 F- V' @1 D* s> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
  Z- }3 b2 \& N! A/ m> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
$ j; z) D" Z/ w4 y7 \( X> 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
+ M2 ^% a* F+ H9 ^( T7 D1 Z6 K> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
) ~: I& n. ?; B$ P* b4 R1 |, z$ S> 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.
>
8 c! J/ b, y* g% y3 E3 `) \> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
! J3 J# ?- `) p( F5 n3 z> 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
6 ]3 j" ~0 y. `. y, ?> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
1 A9 F* C: J5 j" g1 h> 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
( s" z9 R) M8 b5 n) \+ u> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
8 U5 o+ x8 {$ o* H# ^" g% {> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
! v/ V; v) K1 l( p  ^> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 X6 c* I1 g. ?$ l, N4 ?& d: M. k> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> 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
' ~0 S6 k$ o# h7 G$ W' i> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> 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'.
>
> 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!
>
/ c7 D5 F/ q/ l4 {> 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
7 H2 D6 \4 E' w4 H7 B' b> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
, ?( {: y) k4 s3 F1 `> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
* C5 L: `8 N9 q- {> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
/ I; P! Z% r, L% g& K1 E) Q$ x. B& \> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% k8 `9 ?8 v$ q9 u( c: b! S> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 }- Q2 u; ~9 e# z> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
. Q2 T5 \, y# b# L> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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+ c" X0 I. Q8 E# M& @$ Q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
, O& |& _! C9 J1 T) [" T; x> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.