Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 G" D/ f9 A  I' |" `% m! v" O6 q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
# Z1 J( z" C8 V) p8 I5 v# S> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
, Z7 D; ]. ^2 e> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
# y& k' S6 @" t+ \> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
& Y; ]- H$ P; e- N1 I> staff, he offered a question:
>
8 w; W* v9 ]0 d- }/ l/ y> '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?'
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1 u/ b* T7 S+ b4 y> The audience was stilled by the query.
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. ^. q) J( ^0 u7 }3 j. i> 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
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
7 e0 l5 A4 i( j/ s3 Y  n8 Z> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
4 ~  j# g5 `+ S0 _. s. E% L> 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.
>
> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
: Y) w. E$ D) v$ ]% I> 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 u  a, @8 O# d  y8 _> 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
) M; p  M0 H* r$ L" o> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
, M& b, `) _1 S> 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
: P) V7 J* o+ s6 |1 [, i> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
( U& |- I- S3 \  _; k# ~$ p> next at bat.
>
1 }9 D8 R" H: i) N, V! c> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) F  D* ?; l. |( b- t1 P> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
0 o  \8 Q- v8 |/ B. c' a> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
9 G( Y* \) s  }% r  `> 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
( v! E. b+ n: T> 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
# D7 @' _1 Y- `  e6 x* `> 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.
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- x! Q0 C( D  {6 {> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 q2 S9 U, e5 G$ ?, H2 j; _- r9 ^> 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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/ D6 d, t% Z, t8 l6 u+ F> 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
5 G. F* v: n6 t' e> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
3 K0 I9 o- L$ X> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
: B8 _% e: r! V8 F> wide-eyed and startled.
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% m+ u0 t( i1 r6 \2 N" j- [> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
4 w8 w0 Z! R, m: Y4 d> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. P& P' n* _  I' i> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
5 d; N4 z1 }; d6 b> 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
; x; v2 N$ c6 p8 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
+ U5 h  N8 D  t* d1 W+ q; n> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
) Z3 F' b; s3 b! ~$ J8 @  Q# ]> circled the bases toward home.
>
+ D% ^( ]* N" z0 k. F> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
' C# W6 [1 W: {# `> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 w% P" Q3 X; |( Y; {2 i" h- V> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
1 {1 \5 d2 i7 d1 x4 e7 r) O> Shay, run to third!'
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2 x; E( u* m/ @" e2 U> 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
4 C# N# o, H- H9 S1 _> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
, |* _$ v! J+ j; ?7 z; ]> '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
0 v5 M4 K& e$ F) ^% K. h  p4 x> into this world'.
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. D1 d. a0 R9 ~; O1 a) }0 [> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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+ N6 P6 P# y2 |* 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.
>
> 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
  f5 h$ H- I$ p; F$ l* L> 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
, o7 f8 x% Y& R> 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
1 i* b1 K' F/ E' Y- O4 {6 v> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
  a* w, c0 ?8 M  Y% z> bit colder in the process?
>
$ H" Y5 F, X/ a# F, B4 f( I5 V> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- \6 f" Z# P9 f! K/ W% ]> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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; R  r- q( H  T% K> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.