Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
1 E3 n. V/ [) H, ^2 T9 u> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
" o' B: Y2 _5 d1 _$ C> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 A$ P6 ]/ S* g* \3 u3 i" K% ?1 B> 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:
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> '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?'
>
2 E, J$ B6 z, N. D> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
# T( B. s/ f9 w5 X: k> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
/ g9 y: [" m  v& a( i> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
; J- W) Y! r* l$ }' ?> treat that child.'
>
6 T9 s# V; p; C' w$ m/ f> 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
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
' ]! L4 w( O. j! y- d/ ?  ?1 z> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
, x( X% r( F/ S2 T  ]  W0 T4 {1 N> 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
; L  N# f, ~5 c$ K> 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
' P7 q+ J1 [. b; x$ t> 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
2 S& c* t* x6 \# O> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
2 ~7 @, [/ `& w: I>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
+ t$ a9 ?+ U# E4 F/ s> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
, f2 e! O3 B6 s1 T# g* V2 ?> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
% B  b2 h+ n- {' h  r2 V> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
" q% L% o  Z' c; [> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 R- R; M0 Q8 `& h5 b. U2 T> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
' Y" }5 C" N. i) Z+ O> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
" u$ J0 Q) y, ~% Y4 O) w> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
1 f  R( W+ @; G% ?> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
+ @" k: M: q% J# W> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
2 N$ @# ^, X( U& B; S0 Z> 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,
$ ?8 e. n7 h' ?, u  k! E# L> 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
' M0 z$ v  a6 I> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
8 A$ z4 {- {3 E; _5 _> 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.
5 \" g3 l) K2 w  T3 X> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
1 n# m. R2 b" m. Z> 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.
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, f- V/ G8 Z  E8 s) ^2 d! ~3 ^3 i) S> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ m1 O4 t% N9 p( J6 ~, D> 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
* r/ j( z4 q4 b% l# M> 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
> 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
, _; R# Z5 H" O+ a, d6 y( F> 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!'
>
4 j# t% ]% O$ h2 m2 y) _0 t8 e> 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
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  \4 m! b) I# U/ t2 `> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
2 m! n( l5 ]7 w7 A! F/ w  l) j> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
8 y$ K/ `) k7 @4 J  ^( _& b0 n> 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!
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. O+ e0 [1 V- Y1 ~% Y. D' g& X> 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
6 s# M. [6 z: ~- R3 q- K6 S> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
; N# S# c: N& i% P$ j> 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
8 ^  ?  F1 N/ r( i& I8 f, ^> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
9 R' q( u. J3 C% |/ s5 G  P; `> 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
' R* e: ^6 \9 c8 S8 H$ i. ]3 j> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
+ y7 c. G$ o& j6 }: A$ A> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
$ \9 E9 g8 L" {5 W; A4 D$ d6 a) t> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.