Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
> same choice?
>
9 H, D7 e4 b* \5 M2 p4 K% G> 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
> 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?'
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6 r& b, W* i4 U: p& @> The audience was stilled by the query.
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$ q7 D  B0 s) n( s/ R. c/ j> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 b9 N) t* L" a3 V; G> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> 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
' F1 m+ r( y2 h9 d5 N# j& f> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
) p: x% {9 l$ Y& }4 y> 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,
" ]! l6 @; ^. ^> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
* g, \8 u0 M0 A' o9 M% I> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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9 v! `% I# T0 ?  ?  m/ E7 k/ ?# u% 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
: L* x" B0 [" M> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 k1 J: U3 u& t! C  ]> 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
2 R: [! _( _- M% f> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
. n( T5 K& L" m4 b9 p; [. b" t> 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
& ?: M! ~* i9 }, o> 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
1 _& D. i' ]" Y: {/ Z* p5 m> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
2 r2 V. b' i/ c" a: d* M> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
! s4 A, x3 k# ~  r( Q) I- C' t0 s> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
, V- V% A# U! C1 p> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 \, a0 E+ U+ L+ j4 U> 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
' }( O2 U0 ]4 j; P( I> 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
8 V/ x; z$ v) ], s0 C% @4 t> 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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* [0 Y) X3 M8 X> 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,
: J  ~  ?9 C: E5 N# Q+ \1 b> wide-eyed and startled.
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2 z0 O# J1 k* B> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 N: e' k# o9 K/ y: U: k> 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
: o" l+ `) E) S& C8 d# y# }+ V> 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
  o& t+ ^6 q$ `& h+ O> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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- g. g& F; R4 \9 ]' w4 R7 \5 [> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 k1 o! E7 }) k9 G" B3 M( B  a8 }> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
8 h  y6 X: S1 Y4 Z. i> Shay, run to third!'
>
' I& f9 E6 a7 P* _2 v> 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
* k/ K# V3 C8 {- k3 i0 ^. {> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
& W8 Q2 s9 l7 b> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
2 U9 ^( [/ J* l3 H0 ], k> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
* _/ Y# }7 _  T, M: K% V> into this world'.
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8 R9 m7 R. L, N9 d# V> 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!
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  ~1 ^& v% B2 g) ^> 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 |; M8 h( ~3 i3 v> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
3 q" y) t: |9 i5 h7 @$ r7 f+ [> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 A. a& P+ Y7 [% |% Y7 f. Y> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
) J; h; }& @7 f> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
0 K, t( p" g1 w3 U> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
. ]/ T% H* z* o+ X# N# y> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
, I" `6 ?( U7 U) B# e1 O1 D4 O0 ~% z> 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
1 J- [' R' g* w6 K> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 O5 n+ }5 N9 D> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
+ Z& C4 r3 {9 d> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
  F2 C- e9 t  U3 o9 T> bit colder in the process?
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) L/ G! j$ H9 Z1 E" @) b. z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% l/ o2 a# C1 W0 A* {& V/ L2 J> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.