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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> 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
" F- i; a/ `6 P3 G/ ]2 u> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
. @: K) w: {8 A> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
4 X4 J' A7 a+ `; K& a0 A/ `4 z> natural order of things in my son?'
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4 A+ P  O% }# W> The audience was stilled by the query.
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3 M2 N! l0 v0 C0 s+ T> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! `5 M; M6 i  |) V) f. I& K/ X$ k> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
+ [% W* p7 s) s8 Q) v2 l# w> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
$ @$ X. V: }0 ?9 X2 L) S* F% ?> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
. `: E  }! t6 a" B) V> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
5 p; q: [, t  S+ E2 A. z> 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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> 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 ]9 ~0 |& [. a6 N9 ]( N- Y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
5 b; B& S  [: l! n# a> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
2 z" Q2 l1 t5 C" K/ @$ i! Y> 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
* T5 B7 Z! t0 V, ?9 v' g$ U> 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
6 a* B* c3 Q# a$ `2 t# X! D> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
1 x" b1 }2 s" R, }% A> next at bat.
>
> 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
6 J& P7 D0 N8 r7 S- v> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
7 o4 I8 V- Q# H# B% U, w$ c> much less connect with the ball.
1 K$ t% R% V8 N> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: w5 i, a% ]6 S. C0 F> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
' k" r- F, l. R) ?0 Q> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% G2 n: M& |% s( G2 {- J( }> 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
> 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
% `" B4 j" z% S. R( ^! R$ l8 b' u> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
7 H7 H. n6 u! [0 q> 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
2 I) w. V. @) W& W1 w2 A% U> 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,
( Y3 A1 p6 y1 l  k4 a& E! V> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; g% s0 E7 C6 w; e/ H: Q> 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
6 i- {5 p& ^5 e- ?! R% J0 L> 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
/ @( D$ _  a) k> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
5 y& h9 j0 L. n9 [$ y1 R; B5 m' @> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
! l. ]# Y( M; e: r> 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!
- I; l- X; V+ x% o( }& y> Shay, run to third!'
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  X5 P! w2 X1 k  O4 q4 O: \> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
% C5 j6 [- p+ P& m' n. s( K> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
6 B( g" u& z/ U> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
2 k% e9 U. K; e- N' F1 Z> game for his team.
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> '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
. }  W" v. j8 ^; c1 a+ Q  B5 U> into this world'.
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+ {4 b; M6 ?  o1 p> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
  ^; \) [4 t8 s7 m  y9 z> 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!
>
( X3 u( R9 M+ f, H4 B' o/ @> 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
% ~5 v+ J9 \5 @0 L( `# Q> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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9 i" s% D, f4 R6 o7 p' Q' Y" g> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
& q* w  c# y( p" c1 ~> 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
7 p- S' L2 t2 F3 i> 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
" v  T, e' `) @/ E> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
2 s: Y; w6 j. c# G3 o> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
4 i8 K$ `5 M$ J8 e) _> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
+ b9 o) p. s7 {3 P7 F* F# V6 [+ @> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
. E5 H- t4 p$ ]4 U2 X* A3 T4 N  u> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.