Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
" {* O5 n9 F1 @8 k" B) `# d> 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,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
- R- y" Y' ^, H5 i0 Q1 K5 B> 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
  i) A& U/ {, X+ @8 y0 B> 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
0 ]" C: b+ t! R> natural order of things in my son?'
>
* N: z8 }( a0 b" D0 ~3 y> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
' c4 l# T% H4 g0 E> 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' m9 c2 P5 T% {; q> treat that child.'
0 ^% }9 i* v, A+ G$ ]; P# E: `>
> Then he told the following story:
>
8 r8 a/ k5 l% `& P. n> 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
& |  p# x, s: T1 n3 C> 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
- a+ c3 g! _& K> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
' v6 h7 Q0 F5 q, C8 W% A6 Q2 r1 J, f>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
3 P" P  y3 e% G, M> 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
6 W+ t$ q7 `# o  h' v& S1 X> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
9 l" M2 m* C( p' @: N1 ~1 }; @8 e> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
+ e& d7 j2 ?, z- \> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
, K! {/ c- k  w6 n$ }8 G' y% B> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
, Z0 K5 |$ ^1 |, C2 {> 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
2 E/ H' ^/ _6 B2 F4 H) r> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
0 N0 p! }- `' ]> 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
1 Z9 Z, w% i+ o: r> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% J: |# H( E/ b> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
. O5 [6 t: r6 d/ l9 n" {> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
% ?$ \! s) q3 O3 ^% @> 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,
1 W9 b1 B" n! c0 l+ h4 {! c7 v> 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
2 |9 J( V5 o/ P9 W> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
4 t) J( Z; K+ v4 o0 V" g/ C> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
( K5 v0 w0 C% |( j) C, n> 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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6 I2 j3 d1 m, W' [% u/ Q/ d> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
7 X* w1 r4 t8 [: d( X8 V' ?> 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.
>
> 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
' z2 b. B9 u1 t2 q> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
$ J/ A9 c1 K' @) h: t> wide-eyed and startled.
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> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
8 A$ E' R- p& D1 A2 P5 X> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
7 ]7 p9 }( \0 R% i8 C( W>
7 m. X+ M3 W/ e) n# Z9 }: k> 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!'
>
# d6 o1 W  {0 R& D; W> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
( b9 ^) b$ S1 y8 o  o$ A> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
6 \2 G1 Y8 D* d& v5 w7 n2 J$ R> 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,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
% v8 s- Z+ x+ T4 {> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
* l0 I3 z% L# I3 Y! B0 c8 ]> 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
- O# @5 h2 z+ O# `4 G( e> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
4 A3 Q% }( M2 _4 \1 p> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
* e  h1 G' n/ K3 w; ^- B* Y> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
) k# x' ~2 p& T2 z0 ~6 q> 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
0 T0 g4 D+ q7 d3 L0 A> 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
- v1 ^$ K1 j1 D& U) i0 j" S> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 Z3 H) ]# K+ Q4 B" g9 i> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
% K9 @: C) h( \! N* o3 \! L* d> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
$ D: \/ O& ?( \3 u( N% N3 y. V> bit colder in the process?
>
! n' I* |; ~6 g' i/ w0 L7 i0 r! ~> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
4 d2 N: a, n* |( s# V$ r9 v' r0 ]! p> May your day, be a Shay Day.