Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, a- X. j& ^( Q/ T9 }+ [> 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,
9 A7 h# l& d, ^5 {( h( Y> 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
& v5 ^. a% F( n7 j+ Q0 P> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; C1 O# N& I. X> 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?'
>
; ]7 S) R- x4 y6 [3 ~3 r> The audience was stilled by the query.
+ D0 w; [6 o* V- N- C>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
4 D' ]- C: f; @# B  X+ X$ k> 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:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
8 o8 `9 H3 g3 _& l+ d7 b  e> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
7 V9 R& ?1 @$ `: z; o! ~> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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2 d. O  B9 I( }, w9 y" Q> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
% F3 T' e9 ~* f1 ]1 F> 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.'
9 ~  }! K- b  e9 D>
> 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
. d3 ]5 h, U3 B8 Q9 I> 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
> 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
/ ?5 \! F7 y& A3 G> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
# M( V3 G  C1 _+ p/ i8 }7 ]1 X> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
4 _" z7 A0 R( Q: D> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ i# R* B+ q7 @6 @> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
) ]8 L. P- a. P> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
7 h, J' H- u9 ~' ^) |' O6 U/ E> 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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0 w) T  N  V. u; `& j. e> 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
> 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
> 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,
! c4 V2 n% U& D- u* F. Y> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* g8 x/ W3 T7 v& U% v> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
& v; L/ \: ~5 W8 d/ O6 u  v; V) q# P> 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
# ^' Q* B3 n* @4 A! L+ n> 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
5 G$ I7 [' X( K6 z$ z1 T6 }> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
: B  l( |9 b2 u, {& b# @# j. x> 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!
' j7 G; r/ D0 q8 i. U/ W* G> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# m: l5 Q5 W8 l/ N, k. i9 O9 u> 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
. t, g$ \! s7 ?( ?* R8 g> 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
0 y) W6 X$ O- c* ~> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
" E6 ]# f; B  n. ~! A, k> 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!
>
> 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
8 B8 Q) c/ ]2 e- k0 a( G> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
( x6 d: F$ r7 i& E> 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
) T% V5 s$ y. c> 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
> 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
2 G9 ]: X1 b% x' U: ]# s# r> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 }: \6 \: H# G1 y. k) v1 c1 Y> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
0 K; v8 U( ?/ w4 Q> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
- M9 O* p! Y6 `>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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; ]0 G: n" Q% y' o9 K/ s> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
/ \- B, {1 G, k8 L> 2. Forward
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9 o* g3 p! @( V> May your day, be a Shay Day.