Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
" N8 I2 q9 ^+ K( w$ p> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ k. Z6 B$ b2 Q/ v0 b$ |> 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,
/ g% h/ Q4 w6 S2 k. J> 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
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
1 m4 m( m8 a& r. a/ a: f> The audience was stilled by the query.
* ]- S) R. O  O% `7 O) _>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
( K' I, B( P0 \+ h> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
: l0 Y3 ^* n% A7 e>
> Then he told the following story:
( Z4 p! C6 z: a8 ~5 @>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 H$ y  b! D4 V. Y# ~) k! Q> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
: A- n, Y. X/ Y  u> 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
1 t/ k  Y8 [8 x# R5 A! d' g> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
, o$ R' d. X( {- a2 {. n! b>
> 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
0 p9 \  D6 n8 \; e" g1 ]( ?> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
/ b' U4 W# `2 I; ^> inning.'
  j2 d  @5 V3 p% Y>
> 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
( A! c1 o5 Z0 R1 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
> 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.
: {6 P  K/ X9 y1 @+ S>
> 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.
+ ~8 }( J: h7 j  V1 r9 x+ P> 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
9 y% S0 M* V- [; @7 r: k> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; l" ]0 c# h7 c* 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
> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
  s7 W% b! {1 S4 j" {: E% U> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
, H6 U! y% ^0 Z# E/ 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
% K6 `, M4 c; E0 \% }> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
2 v& l7 |- x; z& o' M  `4 b" W$ r  k> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
% K! P4 [& ~3 \9 v2 v5 l> 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!'
" X4 {* p# @. x) W1 d>
& }0 h: s4 D7 _4 z: D> 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
# i# ?8 F! C+ a! M7 x> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
$ ~* \2 A' J, l# e0 L. o> game for his team.
+ e# r# v2 g$ t% N>
> '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
7 k6 {- {4 h! b- U9 _> into this world'.
>
0 H" C- p) L" T" `4 V) y: [5 {> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) d+ D7 x! t/ L6 R9 e> 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!
4 n4 ]: N) H3 g' j2 b>
> 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 c# e+ a' F* j! w# B> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
7 D# X4 m  f- X" B" L+ E- M: F2 T> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
/ K: K1 o, b, H>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
7 |- d1 W" A7 k, s: Z* Q( C' f  \> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
6 i* n& {3 H* F$ b2 n$ s> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
( P! h6 q; V( x" C> 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
) b1 A/ W& t- l1 a8 f  |> 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
: e! Z. g4 @; }% }) t# v" g5 Y> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
! E! }/ j* l7 L- j$ w0 v" a/ @> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
: {% p4 F4 j+ Z# S' D. w; z> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
$ C! n* X8 s: g>
> You now have two choices:
% i* i( e# [- \  E5 E7 ]> 1. Delete
9 S6 N- V  i; S) n% P> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.