Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
2 N6 m5 v: U; Z6 x2 [4 P> 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
: K& z: E) \* U% f> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
6 L- c1 E, R4 m& L- K7 L( M2 V> 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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& R/ p! u9 w0 u* {> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
  m3 x; o/ g$ G> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
) N5 _6 Z8 T- R8 q, b  I: k> The audience was stilled by the query.
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, C. y  i5 m$ V& r> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
$ \) t+ p# T/ O, b> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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8 w$ u0 }' k2 L9 J" ?/ v& P+ t> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: z4 a5 [/ M7 j5 E+ g> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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* D7 U0 t# f$ a# `4 a, p( K> 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
5 W; _( }1 l' g. Y> 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
* h5 p! z% x8 L) V+ ^" l> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
. c, `, X/ ]3 [8 L+ n( z> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
) t6 f& l9 T( E3 b  A' z* K> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
/ R4 J: x) P  }. o0 O> 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
" A: u* y& Y  ~6 u! Q3 [: [> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
* E: X  `% o5 K* B> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
# T0 m3 ~3 t% Z1 }; o6 C> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
- f5 g; k$ ~8 [> 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.
  _1 g- i& [6 G> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
1 G1 q5 V1 h1 n  F> 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
5 D7 w; y, N! H# E0 J- t6 s> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
' v. H8 f5 _% X& D5 \. A> 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
( ]% U* |4 B0 O8 _> right back to the pitcher.
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. T  @! G+ v0 G# W3 q3 g> 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.
>
' s( G7 h( U; c) y9 P& Q> 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
0 B7 G5 a1 r; [" g) l> 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
8 H" L# E; V9 ?8 f> 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,
> 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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4 O3 h/ a3 p- G1 A  h& ]> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
. u# V* |. S" @> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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6 N7 w8 H+ V: K8 b4 b> 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
% r  Q6 k/ T7 J2 m8 u0 }) T2 w- s> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ _+ }/ C* U$ W& M9 K( T( T> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
. U4 Y  \0 K8 O# r# R7 M/ _> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
. g7 k: N8 K% R3 n; {> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
" }8 L% f. j& z# J) O> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
( c. x) Z9 \# W, j> 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
( g/ A2 ?1 R( L9 Y9 U  Y> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
  c( e( F, D7 n8 K" C> 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
9 B% c! ]1 t9 n# O> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
7 l" k3 Z( m- k1 y! e1 j# \> 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
4 O6 q0 A* p$ k- h, J2 J> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
! s( s) M5 T2 f1 s> bit colder in the process?
>
0 W' a/ S& m( r> A wise man once said every society is judged by
+ x# g6 S( A7 U> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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+ f& u8 I; g% h" G4 u5 o2 @2 c> You now have two choices:
( ]6 G( Y) O( F: f! Y> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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) E/ x6 ]: y5 u$ T> May your day, be a Shay Day.