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?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ }9 q. g" L3 ^$ J2 x; ^2 Z$ C> 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
- x; f1 h( u3 U) w> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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.'
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, Y: P7 M; _- S6 d5 r" X+ y( ?; _& }> Then he told the following story:
>
/ A3 C4 \2 t3 p) p9 z; B> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
% \/ t' V+ o4 R+ q! j> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
9 |- {% `$ ]$ Y" c8 H> 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
6 x% m/ V. z" Q( P> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
8 q7 G+ Z+ v8 j5 A* z> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 T- g; Q! h3 k/ r% Y) D( J% t, n> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
# V0 i. r$ M. j3 M0 K7 H> 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
> inning.'
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3 U/ n: Z1 p: n; d' T> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
/ r) ^  F2 h5 c# L! l3 q; 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
> 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
5 v6 g7 d  C+ i) u> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
) A' E7 W" ]: b> 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.
>
/ i0 ]! u- F' ?, H> 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
7 B2 M, x% R# |0 n) M> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
+ t( W0 v0 Z& P3 N4 S& A> much less connect with the ball.
/ t; K( ]! {) C5 d% Y> 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
; I0 p2 x8 }! y5 n; y> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
, `8 L9 Z# e! L# r% U. X( x> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
8 |3 x) `( a* A8 ^> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
5 C. w+ ^0 L6 X* f1 }> 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.
>
3 k- p# S, ~$ x- V7 W2 b% n> 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
0 @1 z, `, P2 J% _: x# l  A; C  p! e> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
, A1 u- ~3 K$ f0 L- p/ Y> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
. x- @+ {2 e" `8 w+ Y> 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
0 C  t& |/ Y) [4 L. y* P> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
1 I' U  @3 g) M% {> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
' V3 \- r7 q" m; O9 W3 x> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
9 Y' X! c* z2 W* 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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# K6 n) T& R- b' j- S/ 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
* S3 C: \; j+ \' ?! M' ^0 R  ^) A> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; W" C) H! H+ k% L& P- x> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
) V3 z) d) [0 ~> 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
> into this world'.
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* O) L" X9 j# A6 R% v> 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
> 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
/ o5 g/ j7 S  T* o7 n- [) v> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
* m) e; g  ]1 _" q' F7 l> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 F- a0 q  Y, b. }2 t) g0 i0 z> 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
7 c/ o9 c1 g+ N' T> 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
. ~+ C7 O5 U2 B5 O/ e: X> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
  I; l- g8 w$ _6 r6 T3 \> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 M+ m* {% E  f5 q: k: r# b> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
4 G- F' K4 {% ?> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
" ~+ b- T, r( k- a% A5 h> bit colder in the process?
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) Q# A; F5 s) p, N( ]> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 }1 {# h5 q% I' r  ^" H> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.