Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 P0 V5 W6 p7 R, F8 ~- C6 \> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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; r# Y+ A- t0 u% N4 q7 {: y1 v> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
! @1 z% N! s$ H2 n- d> 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
: K: v6 C8 Q  ^! n+ T> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
! v0 j+ P. k4 F$ Y8 c2 Q+ m# F9 x$ x> 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?'
>
: V8 x! J% ~! y) {8 f9 ]> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
, x3 i3 z+ ^7 M, k> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
& P( n% y8 O" C' ^" V: h% a2 R1 o> 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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8 N* J. ~3 Q0 _$ L/ j> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
. s0 W) D7 Z1 B> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
& O% U7 _, c3 h' c/ s7 |8 j> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
6 r& L5 l* D4 \2 @2 y+ x> 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
/ E" C% m: E, r0 J& \$ v- v7 J> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
5 U( E# P: K2 X7 b# 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
; {1 ~, b8 G) \) u. q> 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
0 [- v6 \6 S# C4 w, t> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
6 [, g3 |  h/ T  z3 u0 c> 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
) j, d* ]3 O9 q> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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; `  r4 n. h1 `" J/ j" ?> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 V& T% r) f# p. U% ~, N1 E" b> 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.
>
1 r( A$ b# x3 Z' j0 J' m> 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
) L8 Y  t! |1 I. r, p& r, T> 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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; s( E1 @) F8 K( i5 M  G4 H! J> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ s2 t6 @7 s6 J: `' k, x" P2 x: N> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
5 J3 W$ B, c/ W! G> 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
, k) x- t& h3 \# B- ^4 v% o2 O; V> 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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> 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!
+ Z' J$ l0 i/ D> Shay, run to third!'
>
  d$ ~; f5 e+ m; y6 t2 Q! ?> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 g0 W9 H- W3 N  A& K* N$ `# h> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
  d% w: A1 s7 X( n> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
) t- n5 z% s* \) U& S8 n, m1 u& j; r> game for his team.
>
! G7 D- a3 y0 t! C: B! x. U+ W> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 R- @' k+ a+ R- I+ T> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
1 ^3 a& r& g6 y- o& r% l6 B> 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!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
% R+ r# j+ d, \> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
3 z" p. f7 U9 g. {- A> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
% R% a" K9 t" `$ ~2 c  a1 K& @; A> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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; V, M# ?7 Q" O, D> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; |# j; C* _3 ?5 h) R) W> 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
+ z! V+ S# [* q+ c> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
' x) x/ ?- J+ x: G/ c, z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
* j* ^# q. E: J; |1 C- D! ~> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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8 G- g$ T, v* R! V> May your day, be a Shay Day.