Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
2 \1 ~: _, f% r3 Z> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
4 y3 T* b' j' g: A9 H- J! J- U> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
. g# m8 }: W. n> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' o- b( O3 k# L" G9 u* B% I> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
/ d+ g- a' j* k7 s8 E( |> Then he told the following story:
>
% U0 n, [) p, m' p> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
1 w: k! |; m8 {7 c# j. C> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
5 {# O4 F1 M2 Q5 [- \3 H: Q> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
& y- [$ y3 |9 q; J> 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
- x2 {9 L4 M, b7 w' T9 N! }+ r  j5 C> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
! {5 b3 t* w$ a0 c, X8 V7 u> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
  X' l5 ~6 s( }7 u% G+ S> 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
5 L. u1 a- u: R5 w* ~> 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
/ D  a: d6 N# R# [& ], F> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
8 I$ s5 n2 g8 e  n+ m> 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
& I9 K- l' @9 v  x' H; g- P3 Z. y9 |> 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
8 A% J, `* w5 W% A" K  V" Y0 S> 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
( Z% N2 \5 N4 z" x; w1 ]2 ?> 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
& o0 o" m3 D( R- g! Q$ k  z5 A> next at bat.
>
8 P4 z4 n* q8 |: x2 m> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
# k1 n3 [& {! D> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
4 f7 H! F0 z% m> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
# `1 P# y3 b& j. |; \4 ]1 W> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ m6 P) `4 a) z% \. A4 f" B2 n" X> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
# `/ }# W6 A6 ^3 ]/ j6 [! k/ u> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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% D+ k# \! {, _3 r2 y+ w8 M* f> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* `  }& F8 {& m3 e> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* M. k  ?8 _& u! E6 E' B> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
7 [/ ?. Y( }6 D6 q7 ^1 P> 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
, H- x& J5 k$ [& R3 o% Y- z/ p3 j> 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
) q( K3 p* T, L( z6 H> 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
$ E5 L# z  r5 f: j; `> 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
4 `. a" ]" n3 Q  j  d) z" z> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- @5 \9 R! Z  r; `7 ~& S) \> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
; y2 C3 u* h+ B" ?$ t6 Y/ D/ A  Q! C> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 x- p4 o, V# w> 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
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
# c, w6 P! s. ^# @1 l, k  u> '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
! t" }# T, q/ _: r% M> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
; F/ S- u* m8 f- t0 g% V> 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
% J) T3 W8 e* {7 h; s> 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.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
! a: ~: R6 e( d' q$ [> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
2 h2 ?! |- }! B% z0 F2 i> '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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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+ b) `7 i" }( u2 N& \> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; O% L9 s+ Y  V3 A( P> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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" G2 W. [% k. x( [8 J* w> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
- C; p! e6 E. M6 |! ?> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.