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
> 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
> 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
4 v5 g/ W. U% ^- [> 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.
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5 v% d9 V- A: H- l% x; c- |> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
- {6 V' F6 }# s8 o5 l2 H* w> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
/ y- p# R% Y" S( i% ~> treat that child.'
>
4 q3 H7 p5 f" |! d6 k$ x$ ]> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 p* f  V& \! v7 i- G> 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
/ U! S! Y* z5 Z4 X+ w; e# d> 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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/ u, {* I! U. d9 e' ]+ l7 j> 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
) x: X5 T( f: M9 l) x> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
1 k4 a8 H* I/ M/ B3 l9 z# Z4 G> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
( R; N5 F+ V/ w; v: O) f& l1 t/ S7 T> inning.'
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2 ?" K  u  B8 v- F# i* T% f" n> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
2 e6 C% M, z+ x5 J0 Z$ i4 A> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
0 Q: Q/ e; u8 ]. N; p5 \> 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
( {! T( j  i: b> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 H+ R& `6 H3 i1 q> 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
( O% G1 r+ C1 z> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" P1 D0 i6 {  ?7 K> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! G% P' k) L# H& U1 @; u% j/ L) n> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
; @' t- E& N: F1 I> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 l' v6 L9 }# R: A8 ~# ?> 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
  n: I9 R3 Z# s5 T9 i3 L> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
* }. w, v6 t- Y+ H+ S> 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
3 {9 F8 V# j1 w/ S> 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
  V$ t- Y. T# o- L+ R> 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
$ f5 G8 n; s' A; m3 _( _' k> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
) Q  }" v, c& p> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
% x( X& f+ _: Z) |2 N( V; V3 u4 k> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- A$ F. k# C9 R1 r0 P7 K> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) }2 E( t+ }- N  ^. Y> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
9 g/ l, o" c) k1 w  D& K- g> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
' M2 l: [, H9 D6 Y! {) N> 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,
> 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.
>
: t3 f: p& F0 \1 y8 B# q> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 E8 O, S1 P; j0 y& c6 h0 n7 s> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
% C# r# [: U7 }. W  @> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
; |5 c  N- `7 q2 Q2 t$ {2 c2 t> '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'.
>
+ U; L, Q( E! ~  E. v> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 n$ J; ?  c: T. O> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
! a8 I2 G1 W( s5 c9 S> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
7 ?9 V, P# P/ L  V> 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
! m4 E& I  M# E3 z3 x9 q> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
; w& S$ v7 W) x* i; \( @> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
) j# I0 a( S1 B, ~" Q% u/ R> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
/ b3 B- f" v# v> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! F; B7 T% B5 z* D6 j; W6 l7 i> 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
3 o" @: ?3 o! }5 u) r  q& Y0 i8 p> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
$ V& q& x! E% t/ p8 H3 q7 g> 1. Delete
0 z1 E, F$ ^" h4 C9 w0 T> 2. Forward
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! r9 o5 c8 W' i& C> May your day, be a Shay Day.