Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 q: s, N1 y: Q/ d/ c! N> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
' A3 \( S. H- z& N. N+ `> same choice?
>
8 a; n0 \6 J$ _4 S8 D> 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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5 h. m5 n1 ]$ x> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 k+ `6 @" {& ~0 d. F( d; `> 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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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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# w5 _2 R- ]$ ]' N# X7 s> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
0 h! \* x8 e# \, k4 |* E> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
/ l' X4 T& t0 u( q' g3 J> 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
* X/ A, Y1 y' Z8 G& |> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
% d  g6 W  b; Q, _0 i- V& ]> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
$ c0 p7 Z, l- S; g* r: X> 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.
>
6 k: t# Y& `& F% L0 h; R- @7 [9 N> 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
1 v; ^5 P/ J0 N& X> 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
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
- n+ c2 L8 h# o* G! _+ W- j> 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
, k+ C3 z) \) X. x$ N2 J* P3 T8 {> 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
& o) v! S; Z/ D4 Q& I1 j> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
2 J* _. [) F1 Z! d/ _; H/ M5 ~> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
1 y& q7 T( ^5 v" J, U> 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.
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" C& o' R  E7 d% e- g7 ]1 @3 H> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
# K% L" U( R6 m, z. j' W> 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,
% W  P9 `7 L0 I5 K. a! A> much less connect with the ball.
. `2 H: ?5 }! N& @. P8 K, n& C> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
( B0 o" h- |0 g# \4 ^1 L> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
/ Q: }" a# @* ?/ _; d> 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.
( c% E7 T& [. ?+ v0 p> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
, ^! i: ]) Y6 V# }9 @$ s" O> right back to the pitcher.
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5 {2 |8 D6 H1 @+ S# K) j> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
1 g; d7 T( p; S; ^; ~> 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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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
$ F8 r; @1 _8 O4 Z1 d0 f# z( n) M> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
7 x6 ^& U; z% e5 H% A: D> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
+ m2 m; l% S/ Y7 {2 t8 v! i/ D( n> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
0 ?) x0 X4 E) C5 [6 Q* O; [2 u. i> 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,
. o" U! N$ \9 d( `; l> 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
# d, }9 s7 z' _) m1 q6 ^> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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5 t) ~1 J/ b9 X, Z> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
; _1 M. J0 A9 q( k# J1 J2 \  f> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
+ n- L& ?% j6 }) |) x> Shay, run to third!'
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9 j4 L) f2 f# O9 z> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 Y) O- g- J  o5 n4 N" A8 T. {$ |> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
0 S/ T  S3 R- E: ~, s+ i  B> 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
$ i: g7 k2 C$ t7 Z0 c2 S' e6 x> into this world'.
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2 g; D9 R$ W# {> 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
  ^) G! n8 y7 A" S7 R. S> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
6 q, G7 f9 }8 h$ m+ x' d+ y& [: _> 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
: s. R+ z5 A' z" K$ d( @: d1 a/ I> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 A* y4 |) Z' g6 Y$ v. q/ p1 O> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
+ G4 f; n# D  i! B7 i2 v> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
$ ]$ w/ E+ K' {: _# r" _> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
+ w$ D5 p' d8 D; _2 P) R> '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
' A1 k5 C8 v$ |4 U: C> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 A2 W9 x5 Y+ ]5 F. ]& k> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
% k) h, t& j4 M! u) O> bit colder in the process?
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3 u# k% Z- ?0 n% s1 K2 M> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" q" ~5 K0 a, U( e7 T5 a9 U> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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7 M$ D& X, M& i) l9 s! T+ \> You now have two choices:
) U. |  h* `$ y> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.