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
  Y3 k' _( G( X> 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
, U7 [, o+ ?4 K% [8 G> 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
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! c, U" ~4 ^4 F( O- G> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
% U% b# W; d  }: r4 }, a+ j> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
' @( t5 I8 i# K0 o- V2 @% ]* S- U8 D2 {> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. g6 R. y/ }0 p% E( y> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
. m: B& ^2 l9 F, m/ l) ~( N> treat that child.'
>
4 C' G* r( L7 i7 x1 }! n> 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
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
" i+ ?9 A' X7 Z, P( ~6 ?3 o3 ?> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
" M9 N" V8 I" r, }, j> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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6 i7 x2 K% S& ~8 Y> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
  k* N4 c9 ?0 b( |2 O> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
& R3 i1 g8 p/ J* u( D" k" y> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ i! w1 Q7 [5 ~: t; v3 y- g> 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
- y7 ^) s6 M; R6 d> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
& l; Y- Y! p' Y# A  u: Q1 e> 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
> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
/ }( s/ x+ }) |; q> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
* s8 F# @1 x0 g2 U> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
5 ]$ V  j2 \# M: e> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 _. K+ R7 h( X% l> much less connect with the ball.
  `$ |, y7 n* ?6 r" u> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
4 b/ b3 Q# u' Q> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
1 O2 L$ m% r3 T; J+ ~> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
; {% ^2 {" W" ~! {; L: N" t> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
5 G) ~4 L' d: u1 ]- ~> 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
/ O8 a; b/ u. A7 {> 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.
>
' E$ D6 w* ]9 t0 N/ T+ B: D> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ h" Q( k, D, u  ]* P> 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
' c* a- x% P  F- ~* g> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
. O& T; s' u1 u! K- S) w7 w# L> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
- ]# K- {4 [- C' }0 q# |1 U5 y> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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: R* S" f' _' M; x; x> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
: I$ Z# B& |' J1 y- E% `3 L> 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!
1 C7 j" I6 g, C+ t> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 M9 Y8 w7 z( ~! X+ _1 g2 v& A> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
( M% ?' G' V6 f> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
) G; q, P6 }; b; }4 W0 P1 [> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ b8 F( ~( u9 P# ]$ w> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
1 i" @( }- h+ }8 h1 l0 R* V, n* O; Y6 d' H> 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
> 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
5 p4 N  F* X/ h% R* v> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
2 Y, s, @( B% o" L* T> 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
7 {8 g3 z1 Y4 l8 M> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
0 n3 I! v7 ~! N> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
! n4 x# y- n$ D4 g6 s, H> bit colder in the process?
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  \6 n( p  \/ z. s* G7 }* i( t> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 P0 Q1 j+ v/ _- e> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
" s8 i5 F4 T) r/ Y' c% ^> You now have two choices:
  e0 i$ I6 i: C5 K1 M> 1. Delete
7 k. o  y5 a- X' M> 2. Forward
>
0 ]9 X1 a' M: ?3 |% [> May your day, be a Shay Day.