Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* a# g0 R, O$ V% Q% d- M* K> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
/ i9 B* E7 L$ e9 h: {2 `$ M> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
0 T1 R( t2 |% C4 G1 T* t  g0 G> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
2 @0 G4 l6 w) @7 \2 l  u> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
" t) b7 b0 Q8 h2 v> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
, G5 H1 _6 @) f; G> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
+ [& Z4 ~0 y5 l5 Z% Q> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
1 S5 W9 h) P! Z0 ~5 k! s8 f> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
4 ^/ j2 L4 `+ ]* m( h1 ~# d" k  L> 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
  K& ]6 d+ s3 Y> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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& j$ K" p7 _3 s& n> 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
> inning.'
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> 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
- `! c6 b- \8 U+ i# ?> 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
4 g2 H5 L9 K; Y0 j$ h- q> 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
) `; [* y  W- ]> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
$ X2 k1 Q, U" A> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
+ l, l9 ^5 E9 k> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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7 ~; N( N2 g; _2 U2 T> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
2 W, F. n) g# L0 a9 y> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
/ I* k: U' C5 v1 B, R5 ^8 \> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
% R! U+ V$ E9 F4 [> much less connect with the ball.
' E! U- p3 A" }, Q& o* |> 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
* }& E- @2 l5 l> 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.
7 l3 _' }1 d7 @- Z; ?> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
3 M5 ?8 Q, E0 P) E> 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
> 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
> 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.
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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
/ ^7 \& o  }- L' r+ z> 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,
/ Z9 f# D( j8 ?/ C> 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.
>
7 Q3 }$ b) o7 m4 f> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
* d9 F% @+ o6 F- l* \> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
+ C- W9 N: M' u! ~+ }, C> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
  q( @) B! E2 P6 T9 u; T> Shay, run to third!'
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( e' y7 U) S% a' P" ~5 Q> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
& I5 m# g: m3 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.
>
7 r! p3 `$ H; L  p1 {- v> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 T- l, Q4 @6 G- U> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
/ t! s- R4 L5 F* L9 d> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
& o# t5 U% v# H> 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
! u8 X  A' x" y# s( O- E0 a> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
" t/ i: R6 _* u> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
( p0 p0 H" D% J% |6 E5 ^> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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, r( _7 C- Z5 f3 S& R> 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
0 ?6 ?& i. g  G> '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
5 N3 k3 p; b8 H# 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
3 G7 ^# E* l: y0 D  ^4 A> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
% U, z& M2 S3 k) I5 n6 }* x* ^> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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8 ?; @0 l2 i4 Z3 u% K> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.