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?
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% g0 l; @9 R2 V& J6 h" x4 }> 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
$ D# {- M$ o3 e0 h5 g, ]/ V+ I> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
* K7 D' e/ q% q. h7 n> staff, he offered a question:
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1 R% A7 B; V+ D5 Z' ^> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
1 N; M, h9 G# I% p9 F% ]! M> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
& P+ v& O3 i7 D* c# h> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: I) r2 o' g$ k$ ]; n( g8 z6 w, C- y> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
/ r  L) p, m/ L" o* j  T! B2 r- {> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
7 a2 a0 S/ ^8 K> 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
( W& ?% H& R5 d  q' P- q. A: Y/ f> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
: @+ j. l! n8 [/ W* f- |# ~  Q" b" L> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- S  V' t! H; B; W" x+ b$ ]> 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
9 `, V) k, h& v! A) x> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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; d. `7 i8 K- j> 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
4 U: T- w. c* b, i> 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
5 i$ [. H" E2 N0 _> 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
> next at bat.
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( v. E9 |1 n- x, Z4 T> 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
. V" i/ Q$ o' c- C6 Q1 z> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
( ]- b; V0 E0 t2 y" M> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
5 z0 x6 M4 F4 i. Q* a* _$ n> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
: x/ I5 g: Z( Y! L6 \> 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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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 s) }' C- [6 \: X% U> 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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> 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
6 ^8 i+ T7 Z1 W. J5 E: J) G' D> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
* A& ?  Y% ~- M: D> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
( J% O/ Y0 `: j% W+ G9 V. y> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
( {; M0 ^, q( m$ q5 j( r> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
' Z# T% P9 y; y> 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
  n. Y9 \5 H* f; S> 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
$ j8 A: t* `' |! X2 l> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
! K- w3 |1 _8 _> circled the bases toward home.
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% X* d9 u+ P: C4 Q: }% n- n  W3 v# r> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
, f1 T$ C# A# k6 [) Z$ [- K1 d> 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!
. @9 C+ b) i& L' @$ B> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
> 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
0 I( _7 g, ?4 Q/ o7 Y> into this world'.
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6 i& p9 o2 G$ u) V& L) B! b- H0 M' `5 K> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 d  D2 W9 y! {$ X* n5 P9 f> 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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1 \, C7 r- N) P1 h+ o# e" q> 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
/ p2 \8 P/ w* k2 X  k* T6 ~> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
, \, V0 s& n3 Q' @4 H" V. y> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
6 v3 V2 N; x6 b: ?: n> 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
) @' g9 I" K. T> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
( z9 r0 e. ^7 t, @3 B- w/ b2 f> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
* c" E( A  d& B$ I) U% h3 e4 y> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% W6 I3 [  f/ j" a) h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
0 m; r. U5 V( z2 b: \> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.