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
> same choice?
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8 M8 w+ U+ V! I3 I> 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
+ I6 t4 T8 k( Z5 A! _* d3 [> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
7 r! c' Y  d" j$ G% r. {> 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
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, u, ]& k, f0 V> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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* ^* x0 D& w/ Y& I7 e; S> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
4 W" l: E. |* Q2 ]$ h$ x> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
0 c( x4 s9 `/ p* ?: I/ M> 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,
: F) R9 m' ]$ }( [/ q+ \- X> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
# x2 |( H0 z5 I2 c> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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; m  e$ \6 l) {! x: F9 ~3 `" H> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
" p4 t0 n; t. L> 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
. \2 Q% R$ x  W6 N" W0 Q> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
/ o( [: d) I7 {( R* R5 V: ~> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
% b: Y  Z2 A  @& v+ r2 q> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
% Z+ Z6 Q0 A" K) c; |> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, ^* I- l! F% l* J! L> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
* S8 }3 S. x4 _. o9 S> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 H% W9 C% I" [; U> 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
: R5 [- v/ [! L" c> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
! X6 B/ J  B' G> next at bat.
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) U  }: D; Z  |7 u# F" K3 F% H  H/ g> 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
- ^4 n% `/ ?6 k7 F- d> 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
, \& v4 O, j. l2 X" }6 u, a* C# p$ ]> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
8 X. p) e; z% }8 l, t0 W> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
7 }, v; d3 }' k> 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.
7 g5 H' x$ N/ Q; M7 b> 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 a6 m" q, d. k; x/ U> 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.
>
> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
7 |9 r5 ~+ }, d& Z> 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
9 ~: I$ @$ g$ z5 C0 g8 g$ ]8 G! O* y> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
$ }1 p$ |4 P4 \- z5 j> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
( f( e1 d9 k' W  [% }> 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
$ T9 G% E  q/ j* F" a2 Y> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
# }, F- Y7 t- f! F> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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!'
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2 k9 ~) q2 B& u; L; L> 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
$ B' T( w. A( E2 Z( C# k2 n> 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,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
$ H% @, e6 J4 V* b) O! X( L2 }> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 l; E. t, E% v+ g1 W> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
# N+ W! ~1 s) \* j( A& @) H> 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
- h5 J* N; U2 Z# u9 _! N0 W> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
2 |3 v1 m% j% d* \> 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
% @4 Z0 V( l1 b9 Y> '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
) i3 A; Q4 q6 z0 h. X% ]> 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
. O' _. {3 G# H& H> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
$ c- q9 K# |* ~0 u> bit colder in the process?
>
) q* D/ v+ ?: k+ y> A wise man once said every society is judged by
5 \7 e# {4 G' R> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
; e2 [, P2 H) }" M3 c> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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* l; [  v! E1 H- t& f> May your day, be a Shay Day.