Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
7 K# \7 }8 S0 R' F3 \, }> 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
! o2 U; K; P. u" Z/ ^- X> natural order of things in my son?'
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* D! {" G( B$ I$ `# x- d% m7 {> The audience was stilled by the query.
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+ y! B+ P+ C( L! p4 \> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 N5 Q: d% l' F3 P> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
$ l4 }' X8 |- R3 M) D6 t' @0 `" w> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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% i+ G$ N- I- K# U/ x> 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
5 z7 R1 J3 N! m7 \3 \& k$ U> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
/ |9 r8 `# ~4 }> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
( w: Q6 o- q9 c' j9 k( ~0 @+ v, b3 Z! C> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
  z* g" x8 e- C# f$ c2 T> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
. r2 O2 ?3 t1 E/ y4 g1 h> 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
" ^; l5 L( y4 Y% a. `; `0 v, _, D> inning.'
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7 v+ x) J- ^" i> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% T4 [4 S$ d5 W: U% o> 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
9 Y+ I. ?0 C2 u% T+ j) O> 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
> 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
> 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.
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> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
1 Q# ?' o3 B/ i6 v+ k> much less connect with the ball.
' E5 J& B, D7 A6 \$ `% w# l> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
* r( F5 g6 K. y, G( [$ N> 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
3 L% X' ^  H6 w, J9 I8 K/ i; J> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
: _# |  H5 a5 r> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
# W. ^8 U# l1 O- R> 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.
>
, F. J2 ?/ y& d  G  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
4 C. \# B6 U4 {> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
( k  V* h/ k3 v# \& R3 Y9 I8 }) q$ i> 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
> 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
+ j* V" v1 M  C& s) o" R9 k> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
# r" d8 \& o7 ?2 K2 z- n> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
# J% d3 c6 Z+ r: a$ Z> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 o; c% G  {$ u% n7 u$ K> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> 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
  r  x, a0 F  H) U/ e> game for his team.
>
. `, C' @& ~; P) y- J: W> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 z8 Z0 b& R- G% t> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
9 S7 |9 B: |8 o# m5 g1 t) m> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 L1 _2 ^; ]* h& U> 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
( j& T. I" f# q! g4 r" m. r> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
" P' ~* C% U  H2 I) l- ^. L> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
" ~3 C1 v# r9 z3 l" o8 L8 D- _> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
( r. H/ Y4 Y3 ^( c* u9 a/ w> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
9 n8 y( p1 p7 Y( M> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
8 j2 o* X- Q7 M, e" `( a> 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
6 Q+ V! z, c4 M4 Y> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
% b! e& P, `" c, C> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 V; ?6 @( c' ], O1 Z  e8 ^> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
4 ]6 |7 A* j+ H> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
. v! D* C* P( l$ z+ b7 W> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.