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
4 V' m6 a4 V: }0 N; k1 Q' d> 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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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) h/ H: N$ R0 h( W> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 A- a- H, C$ A) h> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
6 e( B6 |8 s1 P3 S2 @$ y> natural order of things in my son?'
>
6 ~2 l. ]4 D6 W& {> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
, K0 g/ D& z2 p) j" r> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! ?3 l) V7 ?$ W) Q- Z  r  T, ^> 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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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; Y' G! {9 L" M8 S> 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
; p3 r' G1 a/ k. K- p1 {> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
+ |/ D! b* Q' @; e- M. h8 _> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
3 ]0 j& S- f8 W8 N# q- |$ h> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
9 a' B1 \  ^8 _; L9 T: ?> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
% a7 L; ?! \* e> 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
9 A2 n! m0 N2 W6 i+ L( `> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
7 z/ x  r; F9 u> inning.'
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# b+ z8 Q& b& ~6 e' |5 i( v- |> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
0 T# d4 \+ }) _! L- v2 `> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
* k! k- y4 g2 l> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
1 q, S3 v( J. Y> 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
6 P/ m3 ?  f( S- _- V  @> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
1 M* [& s) z5 k, F> 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
! j9 P& S6 m0 M$ n> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
4 ?, ]! d; J# n> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
: I; E$ i2 f% _, Q> 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
+ E0 v" s' e1 E> 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
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
: s$ i+ _3 h1 b> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
, g5 c6 G6 a( x2 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
+ }2 ]# t: x% g* E+ v) \+ s8 D> 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.
>
+ F  ^) M( i+ Z, X' r> 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
' ?( A6 w' N5 B> 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.
>
> 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
* V* j: {* O/ Z$ G% D> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
) _* z" y, m: q8 b> 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
# A  }: ~$ U, T4 T- _> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
1 S  U- `" @3 J6 _2 u9 |; T> Shay, run to third!'
>
' l- }; K# }7 |5 o5 S> 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
> game for his team.
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. |8 g0 T! d; N/ B) M; }" z> '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'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
# K4 {; T# y  @4 Y  d3 r7 W/ h> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
6 w' |" B" ^3 I* T+ g8 o2 z> 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
* o6 G- \* H9 v1 ~+ G" z* ?/ b> 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
) X" a! n# b/ \# T3 |7 T( F3 ?" S> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
4 `9 q( o; U+ C0 G+ t> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
( x5 r$ F! W. Y+ q3 _# D> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: f' `2 y  |3 I& B. v> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
3 g5 b9 x  l) Q8 H9 W& o( L> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
) ^# F* r- }. P7 M/ N: ]; i> 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
2 W3 w2 x1 t4 z" y> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
- O. S* b9 D9 \0 S- K> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
2 \: c8 {/ v* j# |0 ^, |  \1 ^5 o> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; y( ]0 ]0 S: L* s3 B  b& X0 F> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
" |$ a: h& l) x& g3 y" L> 2. Forward
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5 Y9 c: F' n2 [: ?+ _. S* V* r0 O> May your day, be a Shay Day.