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
1 D7 u) K. Y) g. T8 }7 e> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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7 R0 K- k) k$ X3 J7 s* _5 [/ J> '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
. l5 s! q1 ^- [" F> natural order of things in my son?'
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2 V4 c) b9 d) N7 t> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
; M1 ?+ {  u0 f$ K4 S> 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
$ Z6 ?- k4 N+ _* Q$ T% V4 t> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' D- Q2 X) ?6 ?* |> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
, S# @; r/ u" T5 J# f> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
9 R* W; i7 N) |9 b  q4 c> 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
# `" `+ M" w3 s! m4 o8 x$ C. |; I; G( I$ q> 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
> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
/ |* ]( N# S: f6 c> inning.'
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5 `2 N( `8 Q- j0 o# ^  r> 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
> 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
> 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
1 ~5 G) g& V+ c2 I2 \" D> 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
$ S: v) h4 e" M> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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3 g( g, }4 e. t- Z2 W, t% P) b> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ V+ ?( [. G: u6 t- {> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
! y+ V( Z3 a) q& a3 C( ^$ ~2 p> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
$ d3 ~1 [8 k: O5 H  O3 k> 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
, ^$ p7 f8 Q6 H# O+ M9 ^> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
9 }3 W. a4 @7 X! w* G" x> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
" |& a3 K7 x; q1 t7 |, ~> 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
. ]$ M! K% [1 ~0 j: D5 S- O# y> right back to the pitcher.
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8 b- y- O# G: Z* u1 Z" `( Z> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' r2 t' X% W3 F) v. b8 v! C( e> 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.
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3 {% K+ L1 I% m" J! x2 l" `/ i> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 i* P7 I1 g" e+ S, z8 Z: j> 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
. q" X8 N( t8 T4 @, i> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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" m3 m# y) [3 y3 H# @- H> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 x" \+ i4 m7 h8 F1 P! i& k- s> 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
4 s" u4 T2 |# e& W+ ], j% T> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
9 W5 P% ]* N) s- f$ Y. v0 x4 ]# r> 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.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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( e" M9 T; W3 N$ _) w0 b> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
, P7 f1 f/ q& A6 p. u> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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4 y5 J. r; h  E; y; Y7 `, M> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
5 u8 H  u" E9 c0 ~! T! @> 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
" K+ T5 X/ F. y2 ~> into this world'.
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2 A) {( @9 n+ v0 l, t4 Q> 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
& p5 g  H( z1 Y# ?" u> 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.
>
> 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
( M# o& B& l0 A/ [3 n' Y> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
/ ?$ P- C: X$ K) n: A1 n( @> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
0 B0 S; ]$ h. V1 g# N4 p> 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
7 H8 [5 j% X% ?+ {: m3 g> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 \* z! Y' k! N" u( ^" b, r> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
5 R9 j( H( H0 C* \; A0 X3 }> 1. Delete
1 i$ h( X- C% B7 J8 C* f5 P> 2. Forward
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, j$ }% r$ I- V  K, a" `> May your day, be a Shay Day.