Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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4 c! n% w+ D9 x1 t) V> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 F0 X" l7 a" D6 I0 g' V8 u) E3 u8 J> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
% U4 m+ W  F0 s* N7 U> 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
> 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?'
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4 F6 e( Y- x. n+ ~0 `2 t2 s> The audience was stilled by the query.
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* u. [& V+ C- H4 w> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
- ?$ Q$ D- H4 h4 n: K' h> 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
> 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,
  S2 X% K- ~- M6 S4 B) d" @4 |> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
* D7 I8 w1 |6 \6 H7 A> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
* |( y; u! l4 H> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
, D1 f2 B$ z8 N+ R' `> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
9 r9 x( e8 E) H) I> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
$ S) n3 h9 J4 ^5 n8 Q> inning.'
>
. W2 P, M  F) y4 U  Z" ^> 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
5 U& B2 R. m" @# _0 M! d4 V% S/ U> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
  y6 c6 i6 r1 d, B- k; D> 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
> 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
  D2 M- }. s# U9 @> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
/ J, q6 h  Y9 L6 p> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
  R' ?% F; ~7 b" ]* X> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ R: ^6 ]" _5 h7 R/ R% q  e> 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.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
4 S1 {- j' I4 \' l4 I' P> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
! D( G/ @1 I& n9 Z> 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
& L0 j  \) S* W> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
2 A4 F+ e7 ~* x3 u: s7 \: Y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
5 F' {. Y: ~* c+ \/ r/ v5 M> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
* c# z; C% @8 p: M$ V/ X> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
6 D0 q- n$ n9 \4 J3 O9 a- d6 a> 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
- U: \& F1 d+ D1 N9 X( A! \4 a: n> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
# k3 H% d9 S+ ^2 s9 X8 N> 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,
9 G9 X" a; l8 v" o  |2 C  _0 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
> 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,
' q0 ]1 |  E- U> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
' c" k! L1 m2 @> 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'
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& A+ J! `7 A7 X9 r> 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!
' S8 {  O0 X3 E+ |% p9 h> Shay, run to third!'
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. n7 W# r6 o# H> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
0 W& U) b' [2 P, a; b1 M$ \6 S/ |> 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,
& [. @" H8 ?& S# O, P0 `, S3 l> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
! |2 r5 [0 A5 r8 V$ o> into this world'.
>
% t* g4 {, f8 \> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) Q3 E: M6 ]  t" O4 }) ?> 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
8 S2 R7 K, v- H5 E" e4 Z- @" s( m' m5 I> 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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/ j  Q6 L) P' A0 K8 i) c) Q2 f2 Q> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; K& S8 K5 }/ {) A! K  g  p> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
6 d1 \: E5 H& j> 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
( V' q: a% u  @0 W$ ^9 P: E> 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?
>
6 B4 M3 q9 F0 e8 i) ^8 o# k> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 |9 z! G+ j* ^% g! J> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
% v7 k9 w$ `0 I3 A> 1. Delete
0 v! D0 m8 X5 n2 X> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.