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
. G% i" J2 o( i: g> same choice?
>
+ S# b1 N) Y7 |0 Z2 K> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
, _) [! n2 }1 D8 W) y" V) N1 @& ^> 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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- z7 i; P0 F; L# n> 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?'
* [" P7 x- X0 M4 H0 J4 R>
: O8 {" C- d! T9 t9 G1 B> The audience was stilled by the query.
5 @- r3 z6 C9 U) t>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
  x) `4 W, Q, k" ^; l2 o> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. Y/ ?8 T$ L$ Z, [" c* Z> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
; N- P& R9 A2 y- X> treat that child.'
>
6 m5 \# h" s) E+ `3 G3 d> 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
6 q* K- z7 v# r4 j3 d7 T4 _9 L> 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
" [, U) d) Q3 L  d; T4 b0 Z, |> 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
> 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
: \% `8 {$ v% [) B> 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
$ u( N# N% l; C! f4 x" o. d1 L> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
+ k$ F6 W0 H* ~/ @" Y: Z, O# c6 F> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
* s" x$ `- `6 j3 b) Q9 K> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
7 k4 I+ W: @5 ]' h: G> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 w6 R3 N% A2 P, E3 G> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
> 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
> next at bat.
+ A/ n9 Z9 A; h9 L>
2 y6 n5 D# E' d& U> 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
; w) X7 N: `+ ~# i- u$ [> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
. S* H. V7 _9 ?+ }" r> 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
> 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.
# Q6 r& B8 x, N) M, t> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
5 q, l- M  B# P" l% W* |3 }+ t> right back to the pitcher.
>
/ m' ]8 P. D( e% O> 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.
0 R" [# c+ W* m, Y! M/ L; L>
$ p8 E8 M: @# |- M! i> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
5 B0 B1 a5 @  \> 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,
! S: H& `# a" K9 N5 O" B> wide-eyed and startled.
; }9 M. S5 I9 H  M; [; B>
/ Y- D' \* `& j1 A> 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
> 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
, c' U: m+ V& U+ h  e- j' g0 D> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
- v: D0 Z) N" v> circled the bases toward home.
>
- Z. q' _4 H/ E> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
; z' s5 o3 {2 [> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
7 h' F! W# C/ v4 V: d5 ?>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
/ X! u; D  h0 X. P: h& c. i> 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
1 ^! F" D% c6 C) d+ m) ~( j8 ~> game for his team.
) I( f" F. N9 X$ z( D" X>
> '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
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: b7 J1 A: D- v# ?: C, u' M8 g6 b> 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!
>
/ p% w4 D5 H! O! y! I> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
# B" x! G3 {+ n2 }6 W> 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
' l/ K: c) l2 n2 k# D$ |+ F> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
9 T- w9 y  W. A> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
6 l& u" [$ F  n4 h1 a7 o" _5 j>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
. m9 d- Y2 V3 V/ }, P> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' t" n1 z, |1 |8 N> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 r4 |' Q1 Y# z2 u0 ~> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
: H4 H) ~8 p, s1 X> 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
$ E" z* d9 T8 c5 b> bit colder in the process?
' ?  p' a" b2 D3 X5 {+ q3 m/ K>
. V* p. l' A  A> A wise man once said every society is judged by
  H- q# u; C. U> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
, M+ o3 b/ T! j$ J# D' c9 L$ K>
) B7 _; k" e: u1 @; u: c> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.