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
> 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
: F5 Q' L# Q2 g% Y& n> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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
" ^3 z4 Z. M" f# w) y5 R> 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
* G- f( j1 Y* H8 U% c5 W> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
- `4 n. W" }4 p1 w! e( A> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
. \8 t6 W& [8 Q% c> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
( t4 z. H! D" M3 m> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) R$ R; }% ?# a" P> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
. f, d" h" {* f4 h6 W% O) E- J: A! E> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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1 S- e* l( G3 s> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( {/ c5 m1 ~3 d; f  f8 b1 w> 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
0 T  d  G) _5 i& g, h# k1 w! j> 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
) g+ G; X- _  ^> 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
: G* \; R% D2 ^& {0 @* i> 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
- l. \7 Q) d8 e$ e6 e! f: A; r' E> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
3 X8 V- Y4 F3 w2 T> 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.
>
' |# F4 {" h6 @8 u3 w> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
* ]+ e/ j* b4 n/ v> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
7 Q. Z7 R  N" C2 S> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> 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
( S) j' \6 O  W, P" j# l( N' k1 n> 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.
! |& n# y( v! R  ^> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) Q6 U: C: {& a* c7 {> 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
! k. j* e& Q& j: }' p+ p> 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
( H& s. t( n$ t: K+ P- E# V: v+ ^> 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
6 [! y( W2 o4 h5 c% M' ~> 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
4 Q3 t& w+ o! S3 {5 V> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
# h4 `9 ]3 ~9 V+ J> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
% r: v- U' g0 m7 E: R5 E! }, m4 m> 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,
6 E$ X8 [" Z8 v* M8 u, h> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
" k9 ~2 H8 Q- G1 ?) |> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; R0 N6 S/ k0 `! Z/ Y+ C> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
; j4 p" ^: f) x) H5 u> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
, E( K, e6 t- I+ k4 y( Q> game for his team.
>
0 ^+ \; [0 q* p3 k> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
* z8 u% F! J7 C> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
- ]3 e+ u, }" z- }# x> into this world'.
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> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
$ N/ T$ d0 Y9 T0 L# j8 F> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
: A; s& L5 M; ?- q1 k> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
  L9 c, s( ?. e9 }) t5 z* j) M> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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0 l+ S$ a) ?" Z6 N1 U4 \4 C> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: p* |: X* s; {( `) m3 o9 i> 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
> 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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
- `7 v! Y2 H" \0 b2 ^, K> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
) C4 H' Y$ e5 y: C! X> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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# D: Q9 d- g& C& o> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
% I4 m( P/ N' k5 C> 2. Forward
>
7 i8 c# J# ?+ |% m+ I> May your day, be a Shay Day.