Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: h$ B  W+ A4 E3 N4 h2 f> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
" }9 s8 Y- F7 k7 l> staff, he offered a question:
>
7 n  h9 @5 S* V1 |+ `: e> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 e0 A- V( {+ C' i* _1 e> 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
) r( v6 @" ~; t2 [8 H6 U> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
: K8 q3 X5 y: B: `9 w, @; o$ n> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
9 V7 n, w7 E( }: k4 q! X> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
( b+ L$ X1 }' m$ Z( M' Y' v> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> 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
> 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,
0 @4 @! h6 i4 E3 M" v' M8 j5 S> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
& u" n! k" u6 z8 g- p6 T> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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# G8 O) D6 J4 y+ @: D> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
! M  e) V1 Y6 |2 S! ^> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
% M( ^- J( s( X6 j$ e> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
# F$ \, V  O% @, G> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> 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
( T5 G6 \" x: I& e7 J- z> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
, \- O+ e' e: b6 r/ ~  i4 D* ?1 w> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> 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,
( n: U) |# X$ _6 ~! b+ L' R" [% s> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
6 h, i" q9 @: ]* t5 P> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
0 z9 P! \6 n! l! }/ k- B> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
8 F7 q; K! r) N> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
* |3 Z, i7 N, G8 F3 ~& E> right back to the pitcher.
>
8 c& E1 C  j9 }% r1 H6 ]> 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
% m6 G! {% {# F& @4 i/ Y6 h0 D# ~> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
* h, n" ^: W" H3 T1 {> 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
# [$ A" F4 U2 F7 C7 G> 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.
>
* Q4 Y, q1 [3 Y' t' c> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
2 Z- m$ j) W$ @0 @( t> 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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) T1 T: W9 H" e! U; h+ j> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
; H1 Z9 J7 C. x; q/ \> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
' }0 _  r8 p" Z9 V5 D6 f! {" p> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
1 Y' y$ j7 b9 Z, N3 W( u: Q> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
) e+ \6 l* m+ _8 r> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
3 M- |/ T2 ?3 m2 ~> game for his team.
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4 y- D! D( o: {3 G& B% w5 W  {$ c' b" q> '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'.
>
- [2 ~3 }5 e& x* M- U> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
8 M! T: ?5 o; j' L% s* F2 i* B$ b> 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
> 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
> 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
* W0 z" O2 d6 D  k> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
+ |' F2 n/ z- p  `: @> bit colder in the process?
>
  f% L" G9 [4 z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
+ h- ~% [/ I/ R1 `4 P; @3 _( ^> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
5 L0 V+ @3 q; H% T3 `> 2. Forward
>
! w. w$ s7 B) [, J  a> May your day, be a Shay Day.