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
8 ]5 }: j6 h1 {5 \$ Q> same choice?
>
8 z1 e  H5 `5 r2 b4 S' x# V> 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
2 i7 x( ?5 V" k5 t+ v> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
; c2 A4 _9 L9 m2 u. \> staff, he offered a question:
9 `. k+ l2 n$ o: G$ S& F>
$ @) S. l8 o% u4 F# _> '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
; ?# I" k% u% l# w) k> natural order of things in my son?'
$ [$ M7 p% v+ o>
6 F. j9 G/ ^# x0 d) J5 A> The audience was stilled by the query.
# D/ J% D% A, _! `- ^% B# l7 v/ d5 ]>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
" S) b2 O) u, ?/ w: m> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ c% ^+ x' K( d> treat that child.'
. K/ y1 z* Y. f+ O8 C' y# M>
9 O( O7 _4 ^- e- z* c" t> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
7 [$ \- y* E0 e. v- }" q> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
: ]7 `; d2 `$ U! }% B4 S7 Q> 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.
>
> 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
. U- I; t! Y" ?# ]  ~" z6 ~> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
1 l7 ?: i# u. ~4 {: L! q> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' h- B0 Y  o6 A( f> 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
$ b! y( w$ v# G' Y8 Y- ~> 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
: S) ^3 |: A' ~/ i# F' B& \! m+ k# @3 _> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
4 t, n; H$ |* M. b% k9 K" N& T> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
/ [1 E) U* \5 l& \3 `> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
. N- O# H5 F4 H( \1 Z; y% w> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
; d5 ~: o% R1 w% }, p! G) i* o> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
) G2 [( ^. s7 B+ c> next at bat.
* [0 p5 R0 u+ `- J>
$ U5 ^& ^( g% @9 L> 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
& O- j! g; f/ m' @% z% D$ C+ U+ ]> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
' L0 S2 z* D& K> much less connect with the ball.
% s. ?4 ^, }8 y# b> 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
6 z. H& n* Z& C) v, O  [/ T! |6 {> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
1 H& O2 H& O; D7 r( X# Y> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
) X1 E) L1 W4 M, _" H> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
7 I$ J- V. Q% h; b$ a# t>
> 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
4 `- T3 [2 n! @: v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
" w9 }. t& A1 d1 {! y% d9 p>
> 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
4 b+ ^: P( [- B5 a> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
' k4 b! N* L2 |; y; R> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
" b" s% c) o7 `/ u* e> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 X# t. j1 ~9 M; S> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
" ]0 N/ h( A2 N6 P% @. I> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
5 j7 W5 u. M" D) f- [% q& D>
> 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!'
>
" q; N1 X  \& ?> 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
! n$ ^5 X3 `3 N: N7 B" Y> 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
, \& E, ]% B8 ~. N> into this world'.
>
4 J- d9 J( y6 {% O; r> 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!
>
> 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
6 T) A5 C! C% u8 M> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
7 _, h8 A- L) M>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
4 ]7 _7 T7 j4 ~" [> 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
6 v) b# e  d1 d/ D> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 _8 q8 M* f' z+ p! {> 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
7 e3 N0 R- r- X1 U1 j& l* l> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
+ Y* u6 x5 s$ v5 S. z( W& G> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
. K# ^, ]& C# N2 D' y9 U& b, H  a+ S>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
) y2 s- e+ `' V( ]& m> May your day, be a Shay Day.