Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' [5 o( e/ Q9 w1 ~+ U> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
7 i' G- C! h2 r- w" z" K( p; w> same choice?
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> 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
: O+ W3 n7 D$ {( b1 j* d$ _> staff, he offered a question:
>
3 w! y+ \! r" [& L* J0 [  F6 Y> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 f: B3 z3 x2 r  N0 U1 ~4 O> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' S1 N, D7 z* j* f! k> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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( K. d& f! i' g/ i; {> The audience was stilled by the query.
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( Y: l) @0 p& j> 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
> treat that child.'
>
/ x9 [; a: w( l/ g- i* U/ w# |. c> Then he told the following story:
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. l& J0 M: Z8 ^' y$ N1 y> 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
2 z6 _8 W8 X7 V+ l2 @& W: ~) u> 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
) W$ N3 V/ B; E9 ]& k> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
5 X  m  n" \& f* t0 \2 X3 c" t> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
7 D: n6 b- f4 T7 l7 {6 O: S3 E% F> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
; E' |/ c$ W' ^3 [! z) t! H> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
, }5 U- ]5 h5 x1 X> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
' D2 k8 ^% H- e! ~> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
* i  H: H7 L+ x5 [, @; Y# U- \1 i> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
# [3 E1 W$ Z4 Y> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% V# S9 H- l9 l9 x; `! u> 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
( U) I  G- _& I1 U+ O9 v0 S. ^> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
  m9 V7 R% u" j5 ]> 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
* Z2 ^9 ~  R% ?! k: o1 r& E: @> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
! K1 S* b5 ^. D" p& C) R> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 R* B/ T0 Y3 \) B2 K, \> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
" Z! X- p& N6 G> 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
/ F: Z. A: J/ }) k3 o& e> 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,
$ t! v5 z/ s- J> wide-eyed and startled.
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2 M1 s# S% {6 @> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 K; c. t% W, C" I; T> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
+ X& O! k) T; q; p4 O' v> 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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> 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!
" |# ~2 _. k8 U0 Y> 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
' m' V: A, x8 X4 ~# D& u. `* r> 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,
  ^1 E' b1 h9 e+ w+ Y> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
# Z/ e5 I- y# ^5 ~7 ], D/ ~# {> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
  ]  I; v3 q3 f0 ]> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
) r& \" r$ C8 N9 |, K+ g# x> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. _* b, }) c6 P> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
# k- C: }* b/ |% v% b- ]5 Z> 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
. t, C- z. O& v; |) b> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
" |# r1 q; A7 H/ A( Y3 e1 b+ d5 w> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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6 t/ i  s" t" C% U> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% n: S8 l6 \* Q7 D7 a" b+ P# h! t> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
2 W$ M3 K  i, i6 r: b> You now have two choices:
1 S. \, O1 y! T> 1. Delete
' T* \3 E7 ]  j) x$ Y> 2. Forward
>
1 E0 }2 f5 w7 N( U, D/ k> May your day, be a Shay Day.