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?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
9 R. c! U8 P6 |  C> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
; O, f, |/ [6 F2 d> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
/ _& h9 ?9 q: E( a> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
: _4 |  |0 @: G7 _. |> The audience was stilled by the query.
; [$ W+ S3 _" j) L9 S# r% q>
* j  C) c( j9 B( C> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
4 M+ L, }& ~, X; `# M& ?> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 Z. ]4 z: ^. @* L. T* i$ ?> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> 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
$ x* r" w* [5 c  j5 ~> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> 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.
>
+ @9 w& V4 x1 I+ L: h% b9 \> 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
$ q8 I1 a! j  t  D+ F> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
, c. N8 A% H1 b  O4 m) d9 u( v  c; v> 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
# \2 x$ Y, D1 j4 I' c' W( t5 z> 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
: L- C0 ]4 |. X. [; O> 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
" Y- K5 q9 {# Z) Q> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
) {. O" X2 R1 z; W$ L- t/ u0 N> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" \, C. w; a8 l" }, W> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
* P, V, B$ [4 m7 {; z5 r> 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
( v- ]* U/ Q9 u7 j4 k" B+ C# M> 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
2 E7 Q/ s* p. m- \& ^; }7 o> 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
2 h6 D  O3 Z- r2 f  q0 M1 N, ^> 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
6 }- d! E! b+ f+ D> right back to the pitcher.
>
' y" O& I  J3 z/ x. d# g> 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
. M+ n+ _  R4 W& \# J7 L. l> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
1 ^7 V  T* t# x+ d% a) ]$ V" I- Q> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, f, H7 A& ?# l/ w  f# h6 @0 }2 U4 s> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
+ o$ {" `* o+ h$ l( p> circled the bases toward home.
>
% D8 C- t. M- {8 l  j> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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% I7 Z" I, l1 ?. B8 f; X( [$ F3 b> 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!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
& w% }5 I# C% W% S( Q, E3 x> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
) U% k/ J/ Y6 T1 c& `/ C> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> '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
' X# o* B- M2 m0 P! [- O> into this world'.
>
> 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
% ~& Q5 i8 v0 y  u" F+ Q# q> 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
0 F6 q- K& s- E" ~) s; W1 v- B> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
* Z, X9 r  `( l: Z, k( |> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
! E8 Q% V' h# m9 I8 ~6 `> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
. I9 d5 i. ^$ y7 W3 Q> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
$ f9 h& U( j0 o( |4 w> '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
& G3 p2 ?: r- b+ [1 L' H+ g> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
1 s# r6 I$ B0 C* s+ i4 k>
- u' i  |$ e" j$ V> A wise man once said every society is judged by
+ A$ l* a6 {0 {# f2 P> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
) r, i/ g2 d: @! l( P> You now have two choices:
: g7 w8 p4 M, |% n  b> 1. Delete
# S. s+ _7 p, \8 j$ l> 2. Forward
>
3 Q! G& y. d9 Y, H> May your day, be a Shay Day.