Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
6 }0 a3 g# e3 G7 c9 c9 A+ ^> same choice?
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5 s. m9 F. {, _% S> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
7 V) u6 F8 z7 x( Q' z0 p: F* H> 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
! p8 l; k* B) H1 P$ w> staff, he offered a question:
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3 O# s9 M4 a% D5 S1 \> '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
& s' u: |7 {7 h: |: b6 F> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
8 k; L4 X9 `$ b$ u, O> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
/ V% t: b* c' S7 w; o# ]) Z# c3 j/ K9 X> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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3 u* }0 ]! n$ K7 R9 z> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
* v/ t# |0 N0 v> 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
: K) i0 _7 O6 H* b, G2 r> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
5 P6 m9 R9 i/ g6 e. L> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
6 z, q$ d0 g. f2 U% i! {> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
+ \9 N4 `. X7 H0 E2 k> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( o; @& o0 J$ @% ?> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
6 j4 B! H- c! k7 K> 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
4 J/ [$ n1 o" k, M8 o9 u+ ~, l> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
; x* v' \+ ~  \7 n) ^> 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
) i& v2 y$ S7 c0 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
) x' W. S+ Y7 L4 }# b& c> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
- q2 h' A0 I6 c> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
% m7 R. K7 U6 G" u> 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.
/ H+ t# k$ b" I( \: N$ S  v7 S> 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
4 e" A! n: O$ Q5 E( ~' n> 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
# f2 w" L# }8 V5 t( O. h& d> 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
) Z# }! c+ ^. @* ]3 U- u> right back to the pitcher.
>
# @8 d7 \# W! l" v7 }; p4 m> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 s) U  r2 C0 W3 k3 G% D0 m> 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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2 W( @0 d$ ?, A0 |# ^> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
, k5 ?. I  u, H" f% W> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
. m# U4 x" M' M3 I+ S> 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,
7 s# p. K1 l( u& E> wide-eyed and startled.
>
/ r( p  E. _  m* j0 _7 `" W> 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
% U5 z. C( T6 h# i# `& E0 E4 g/ O> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
7 R. y: A1 i( Q" P6 X> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 v6 [* K3 v/ D, \9 T> 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
) T% c9 L% n' _) f/ Q: i) @0 g> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 c5 S, }8 K) O. c> circled the bases toward home.
>
0 X  f8 ~0 _0 a. w/ d5 ]8 g> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
. x0 h2 i+ f( b: ^8 f8 g> 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
* u+ G( R! A$ D; k& m> game for his team.
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/ h% q: l4 Y$ D# _' z) h0 u# P> '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
) I# t; b, n7 g6 }! L> into this world'.
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) Z" f* S+ m8 C- v> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
& z- E2 Y  A6 O( m> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
" z* q+ v$ b* Q: c> 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
5 O, s- ], k* `' k% o> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
! d1 N" X, N$ W6 m  M> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
+ `2 y# {$ X+ `  P> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
/ [* H+ O- b+ h2 O( G$ P# [> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
) I& ], K5 R+ p! {8 J: H) U; G> 1. Delete
( N( V5 D0 p! b0 z9 U# ?> 2. Forward
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5 A1 |; F0 f0 ]; U5 y0 U> May your day, be a Shay Day.