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
% S4 w5 v! O# C$ G0 Y4 i3 ~> 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
> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> 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 I' O- r; v3 [1 c- u3 _5 W2 t> treat that child.'
>
* k8 S1 j  F- t, h8 h> Then he told the following story:
>
8 V* ~+ k  R2 O& s  J> 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
! Y& |) A2 d' z' W> 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 y( J6 o4 E8 F% T- h( B> 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
+ g% P' J' w' k* _" {( b3 c3 d> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
9 e" e: F. n, l1 k+ f0 m8 ~% Y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
3 y% p) r1 y+ O>
* o0 f3 ^( [- O9 [> 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
> 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
2 z" Q6 y/ N* S. k> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
6 g, y" _; p3 K6 S( t> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
0 s+ t' M9 s: |( ~: \8 Y$ ]> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
. v$ v9 d* H( p1 q# t> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
6 B- r8 g# f* s/ O0 ]> 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
; G* T$ @' \, l> next at bat.
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, i: Z( K0 h1 D7 B& `> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ F+ z5 {. o( p: j, \> 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,
3 R0 R$ K4 E# o: p+ ^> much less connect with the ball.
/ Z* F+ h' c4 v7 |/ [> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 c) s5 c$ l9 Q5 A; @& R! k5 x1 T> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
  n' Z3 n+ Y* B> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
0 T6 z# A8 m8 C* O# V# ~> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
1 p+ y  V8 h. J% i> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
- E* h" Q& ~; r/ {> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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- a* ~+ [+ v% S! O> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: Y+ n4 P1 s! @( P> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
% Y) \$ n, h9 n! l1 I0 |5 ]" Z* t> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
/ U2 _" T( E$ J( ?/ V/ O( s> 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
2 P' P" H, \' w: V4 F- ?) R2 b> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
6 Q; p" z/ U+ m> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
) `# c" R; k# S2 Z, _> wide-eyed and startled.
7 B% Q; T8 r* t8 A$ F>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
5 w" g2 s% N7 D" ?0 @> 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.
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$ P/ i: C$ U* k( N> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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1 y' @- |/ w' X4 w> 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!
5 I$ |2 g5 q) S/ e> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
  S' ~& c. V7 K) h. G> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
- w! P; J+ ]& {  p) v- i) |> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
" ?9 E# C$ P) H) l7 M$ ?, V+ Q" \> into this world'.
+ _% x! A- y. K, h! Q, K>
0 P# M! e2 |. E* J! x. K$ F) a: l> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 H; t3 g& G$ G> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
- y( G! o4 g' M2 @5 \6 S> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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# s: t$ y" D- |# x> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
6 J6 C. Z' v8 D* e' ?& @1 a> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
7 T- \5 {% j6 z/ y: j> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- v5 \5 Z7 n" q3 R) g8 B> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
- d5 b: T- C- U# l> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
* b" H7 H! |1 `, [2 s7 S> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; |8 S3 I' k6 e5 b) b& C4 A> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
. x+ M$ Z  E- J$ j) C% Q> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
3 K; `* b3 U1 [& U1 b3 q: W0 g> 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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
6 g1 J( N, s, x5 U3 [1 X" r> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
1 u7 S3 ?3 a, |9 J0 J8 _> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
8 A% j) v4 x2 b: R> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
  p/ ]( n2 n& k; r, F( ^. h> 1. Delete
# R3 ?: P7 {# t# c1 J" w8 p  L2 [> 2. Forward
>
) o" @1 k( B1 w4 n: D> May your day, be a Shay Day.