Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
, v8 v! g$ ?: W4 V> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; c0 Z( q$ h0 f1 A> 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,
> 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
" M( |8 N9 b' W> 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
, l6 y+ q8 U4 ?/ n> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
# R+ i) [% {. x% D, J# p>
: z- f: o" T2 m3 k+ E5 Z) x& {> The audience was stilled by the query.
  n. a; L( v( S) _>
5 ?4 f( S: S: L0 K6 s> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! `; P  Z: W' M5 J9 c" a- P8 I- z: U> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 |: p3 k) o" {" g> treat that child.'
# [1 A# v$ {# K+ o- H>
7 f' e" z+ g3 A, n- H; X> Then he told the following story:
7 y2 b8 y2 ?' y4 k& @+ V5 L>
> 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
. V: `; F" n) n! l$ F9 r> 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
. _2 K8 F1 F+ k! D- G> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
; @9 a, `( `' U+ U* b>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
+ W4 u7 M5 g6 [> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
- q* m8 b3 ^4 V! M  M7 F> 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
$ ]2 f4 _6 E. \3 |* o, G> inning.'
>
> 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
% Z$ {+ E" c: y5 X> 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
! z4 z/ [3 W5 E- y% {* J. Y4 m> 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
3 z, [; ~6 R) }: `: b> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
! j% p9 T3 [& @4 P> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
9 h& E% p1 p& ?' O& a> 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
1 N: m1 @- V7 h3 P5 `% H  H> next at bat.
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& y" A6 j: w* [/ j- }% n0 N> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
% u$ t" G$ p) k> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
" r- R" ^* C6 E* M. s1 E> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
9 p8 z' U/ S- U7 B& a> much less connect with the ball.
. K7 r/ z2 ~/ n> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
8 j) \3 V/ y0 P5 C9 z+ h/ Z> 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
% o+ u, Q& E! R% d$ O> out and that would have been the end of the game.
5 Z# D* M1 ~1 i( j9 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
> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
  N. q0 ^% Z6 I7 @> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
9 F9 z' K+ [5 b: y. @2 y2 U8 Q> 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
. H" }% M1 T$ b0 k* I> 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'
5 I1 b& M$ f# `3 o! v3 ^5 m>
+ [* s$ ~1 t9 ~' I  b> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: j* D6 `& M: s* I3 }> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
; |, c0 I7 i9 f; I> Shay, run to third!'
>
6 ?  p) R3 g5 T; h> 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
% L$ u  h/ }! M7 R  j6 T6 b) N, Z> 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
> into this world'.
>
2 S1 t  \- ]2 f% e& q> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
( z; F: A$ b# N% q4 ^> 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!
$ e: ]0 i, R7 L- I. W4 t3 @>
+ a8 a0 c* ~$ ]2 U7 s3 a( Z" r& d> 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 ~' w8 d: k: k/ o9 j> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
/ A1 F4 |1 j% p/ l3 I; K) W# V9 p> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 {! Q1 u2 j' P- b$ {- S& Q> 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
! x, U* h4 o& f* x> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
  z9 L( C/ s- u% y5 B# j1 t4 d6 l> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
8 ]1 I/ ~- q' n9 Z$ f> bit colder in the process?
2 Q( @. t" [: b( B4 N* V( M+ I>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
  W4 C7 }- Q. T> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
7 X4 L8 V$ s. R- P  P> 1. Delete
* @+ ]5 n/ f/ j' n0 O# ]  L> 2. Forward
>
& ^- o) ?: m5 H9 S7 Z- T$ G2 o> May your day, be a Shay Day.