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?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# a; x$ c3 [* \5 q7 n> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
% G+ d8 p( B/ K> 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
& s7 R! S) D- k5 b4 h> 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
- k- P. C& C+ C" j& a> natural order of things in my son?'
: \3 m) T5 q1 F9 u>
> 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
! {9 p/ e- x: z! i4 m) Q7 w> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
! k& {' N- R9 l0 y4 y  O6 E>
' i$ ]% u3 E0 L8 M; @> Then he told the following story:
3 i* D) p9 O, ^$ y$ ?6 M>
3 A) B' k8 d. ~* ^3 e" D+ Y> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; X" ~0 [1 b( R; H. u> 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
3 M2 C8 g' @& e! X> 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
* H9 @6 ]# x0 S. A9 F2 y4 h. @  c$ @> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
8 V3 J5 V% f# y> 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
7 @: L. C& F0 Y1 b, h> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
$ `5 M" W" R- J) `" d7 `> 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
4 n. K; y& W" }: D. Z> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
. e" |9 K& q% `* @> 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
3 S! f. B/ h+ V. i5 s7 @, `> 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
8 F, r; T5 y: W$ t; q> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% P# |! v" Q5 G5 H- _8 h2 I> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
7 c& \) v. _7 n$ ^& M- ~5 R2 u* r> next at bat.
6 {: K1 o" Q* k/ W>
( H8 ?0 P& G/ Z5 `> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
' Z# i+ Q- ~, o6 C: n> 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
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
: b. [! v8 e6 ~% l' N) r> 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
' h$ h( I8 x9 C8 }  Q> 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.
>
3 J8 @) I6 M+ u; o+ h! b> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
; E- j" ]# j5 F" q% s> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
5 K; F. f: g1 e4 _> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
% X. {; T% \) Z& p8 t. 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
8 \" g" a8 m5 @& _> 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.
# f1 z$ Y% p9 o3 @5 g>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
  j6 n8 i% f% I- V3 }> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 u2 w  |5 a: V0 F- \  R3 ?- S> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; M2 A4 ]2 }' b( i! K/ J2 }+ n> 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
- W6 [! C3 T2 U4 P. n> 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.
' @' u. h$ z. F) P>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
3 W9 [- p, j9 H$ W6 O>
4 Y3 J* O% A8 c3 O, p$ d+ z> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
9 ?" |% d9 y. `0 _> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
& v/ Z8 @4 u. F% G- R1 Z> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 L) U* b. B# d3 I2 h2 |# u! Z> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
! \( O7 Z. a% ]4 h: ~8 {* E6 n- r> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
- a- Z& [4 j8 Z: k. B* l. s' K> game for his team.
* w( w; V; R9 e3 U6 Z" z>
. R+ n; L% t/ U5 e7 ?3 Q5 H> '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'.
% k: o+ q+ ?3 s: H>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 u% H: n2 ?* X# s5 g> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
7 x$ D$ U5 r6 C- _> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
! N  G3 j( _" X1 @* K# [2 T>
> 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
! Q, G; s/ X% Q+ {> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
% B! E+ Y, |" g3 v1 O5 n> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
* C. n2 J( G7 o" a' \4 |* N' \( h> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; R. L. k- O  W/ [- A> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
: Y4 L; ]' D) U9 P7 _> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
7 g5 d/ Y% z/ p; }4 r2 l> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
" j2 l. k( x) x+ f# d0 @: Y4 v> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
1 G8 k9 `' p* v) c: V4 X+ m> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
% K7 ^9 y$ R% k: h) R% @7 z> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
8 k" h# g* D- y" @> bit colder in the process?
/ p8 F1 R0 Z- m$ R9 ^>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" m1 ~; V- ]( [! w6 z' r> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
9 [- g) i% u& \. D8 _>
! v5 G! X9 {: J" E6 ]( A$ R> You now have two choices:
4 T) x) x9 v' F$ p* e: Q> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.