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
3 u; X$ ~% o1 I, R> same choice?
>
> 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
$ _2 k2 f4 k. ~% V> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
. {6 b6 s: ?# X- E4 F; d7 H, s, ]> staff, he offered a question:
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# h/ I* A- a" J  u$ Y7 p5 H, k> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 v! l; Q3 d7 @. i5 w> 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?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
! i: p4 u! T( }$ I+ V( x  b' T> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 r2 D1 v% h8 |8 b% u2 ~$ f! J. M  f> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
" U/ e3 q; C2 u; \* g$ j> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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  q3 Q0 n$ _' _9 C  _9 I> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
- Q+ i! I9 T& \* {3 {; _- k1 ?> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
. m* P. ]# ], g/ }; w0 ?> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
> 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
$ u$ i9 G) I- p, d$ f  ^( s> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
! V5 R; r6 f# b7 {> 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
> 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
$ v% Q: p5 K- }" e> 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
5 k! g2 ?# u& e5 K> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
% W4 o) v1 T& ]1 w, F( b> next at bat.
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/ C+ K% m; n: ]> 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,
# M3 |* t' U' A> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 w0 X6 I6 W! Q* ^: E2 O; _7 e7 L> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
9 @* F" X6 l( Z> 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
. ?% J) w7 C" a* ~  c> 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.
>
> 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
3 n& O" y1 Q- y4 p% J* A> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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* a* a4 t6 O9 y2 x+ @1 q> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
9 @* \5 d( n: t3 N( U3 u0 V  u; m> 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,
- _/ u# w6 F0 V6 L' v" X0 u! O> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
1 F) F: M( a) h+ {7 c/ ]4 j> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
. Y) c6 U* I( Y3 d, x& e; M> circled the bases toward home.
>
+ N5 w3 O! p/ x, m, V4 e+ s: ^> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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! ~, F, ?6 T( ~4 Z1 @+ h4 w# _> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
6 z0 n5 r5 g( c/ G0 t' }- H* E+ x> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
* D, L7 f" G9 V- S> Shay, run to third!'
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( v$ u; O: r) |2 c; C> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 o0 L  q; W2 J> 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.
>
> '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
# s  M0 H5 A1 O' V" p  X/ U> into this world'.
>
% A7 }# H# Y6 ]3 |; }> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 j( ?$ k2 y# w> 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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' f/ B+ p2 a  P0 o) i" o/ `$ F+ ~: z> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
% M# l) C) i/ s> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
3 z. Y6 m2 _9 o" E) l6 V3 [$ q1 p> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
/ x) `) o% a8 }$ X> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
7 {7 H% j' g6 y6 w# ]8 {6 y> 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
0 C& \5 _8 ~1 E+ @' W" B> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
6 |' N% N" c0 J# V! n> bit colder in the process?
>
3 w( J& c  _) H+ W" [1 Q. ~> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* N; k9 q" ]8 n% G+ b+ V> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
7 p: k, |  f6 _) R# A> You now have two choices:
7 n4 {% b  [2 v, }% B; V6 n> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.