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
# z. G5 @% W( e" f. ]! w5 A5 k" e> same choice?
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/ V# T( G# D2 Z> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
0 _6 g5 X: r2 o) s3 z- x$ E; ?> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
- j: c2 ?0 ]3 @> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
  G/ b6 k  w& |9 U> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# y  D* s6 m. K6 j> 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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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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) X, H& n- @& e$ J) r; i; D5 d> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
2 V' g7 E1 P% ^9 \> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 N, ]* u" g* g0 t' {4 h" P> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
9 c) v, X  H+ S> 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
' F0 v. `- K2 o) @5 h9 P- Z' Z> 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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+ Q9 Z7 A; M) i- S% i# R> 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
* I$ z5 T1 }, O> inning.'
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> 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
% N8 K% \  _6 G; T8 }5 N% Y- y: H> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
7 l; c- O" E) q& {* u5 Z> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
" u+ h, P  q# W) S- S> 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
' |9 z. h+ w6 z+ s( |5 r> 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.
>
> 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
> 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
> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
* C: H9 D4 \9 c& u> 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.
>
> 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.
>
> 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
8 V  Q4 h- |" i4 d" F; G# ?$ L> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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$ |* T8 ^, _( b' R/ H> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
. V3 J/ n7 W& a! P# j1 k> 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
> 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
2 o3 e: O8 ?. U, H  O' L> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
> 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
6 G$ L. Z4 D7 ~) a% J" f> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
& w. y$ n2 U8 Y% ?* k. G1 C% Y> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
3 i5 F$ _+ j! F, o- ^1 C! r> into this world'.
>
> 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!
>
, _6 q' _" I8 _8 @> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
/ U% E; I0 v& F% {> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
1 d& S0 k3 z. O> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 p7 Y/ A/ \+ x7 i) F- T; Q> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
* V0 Z2 z3 |/ [0 ^  v> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
) z+ s. i6 A1 Z* i5 l1 w" C6 |> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
. G# b  m; H- H+ D0 f, c0 [$ m: r> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
) d- I) Q! b) B* O. ?! J9 D9 Q% {" n> 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
0 G- J( G& K" i! v- T> bit colder in the process?
>
5 P/ T- {7 S6 T  `" \/ C6 X# a> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ G0 k" j9 l& w> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
" |' c  U# b0 Y) W; y6 Q> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
2 q0 I1 a/ h7 ?2 t> 2. Forward
>
) N1 u5 p- z+ z9 V1 J0 k3 _> May your day, be a Shay Day.