Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
- M+ d- Z3 Q4 S$ I; [> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
5 }$ b: K7 H$ S& a> same choice?
>
> 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
# C9 |) J! }) @/ G+ Y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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4 ?: H: \# ]- t) D1 A; w> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 S% @5 d: c. R- @> 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?'
>
- e) i' b8 {0 p. m2 o> The audience was stilled by the query.
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% |1 M% j+ X1 h! V7 X> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 n9 Y6 `' d3 f  v> 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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) E) w3 i% m: _7 O8 _9 B> 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
; D0 _6 ~; F+ {- Q> 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,
7 U; G6 N* l* L. [# |> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
7 d7 I8 c% A4 D( i6 n: ?9 ~$ B> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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) w: m  B; o) W3 M9 h$ ~> 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
) h% {1 `8 o4 `( ]> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
+ p% j+ q. A$ f4 u$ x* c0 p8 Z> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 s$ p- ~  e7 S> inning.'
>
> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
) v4 s) J% V( }# y* N  H% \> 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
( t7 a* C: Z: ?8 O> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
& F) `9 u1 r! \. a9 Y+ s* I, b> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
7 Z$ E* C, ?& V2 w& ~. p* t> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
& y0 p6 [% w$ w3 B> 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.
) u; R, m2 F) \4 X  y4 P, D> 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
* M5 l# c% W9 @, m6 w( S! n, B8 D> 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
+ W$ K" o, l+ y% S( h7 H2 U9 r8 [> 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.
>
! x0 |& w# l9 a5 a; H! h, X> 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
& N* q" }3 C/ d, l, P> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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; b' L  |6 I+ u$ d+ O9 h7 B6 Q> 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
( V# f, F( d* Z+ S> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
; {0 Q5 H4 P% q> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
1 c4 e! l5 f8 t6 Y> wide-eyed and startled.
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$ }9 ^6 O$ Z( u( e% ^4 j3 f> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
" j# [6 O2 t# G> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
1 i& o5 i! R3 u4 o9 R> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
4 N6 I2 n7 q4 a5 [> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
* S8 o3 B  e- L& I> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
. @) m% a9 v7 \- Z& Z> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 |. z, D6 A! \1 S' ]# C4 J* p> 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
> game for his team.
>
% R# C  p7 }7 F; Q7 H2 G8 H> '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
: M  W4 |- H  t* U> 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
> 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
, Y# z% H: ]+ c( ~3 e/ B, R- H> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
: }: l; ~. u) [) Y> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
: j9 B$ Y+ n, q) g2 G+ Y' r" a3 X> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
* `8 |( s+ J7 F8 O' [> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
0 ~. `7 L# A* A7 M7 Z+ x0 j+ O$ I> 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
  p& X. T- o1 {0 ?1 S) c, P  a> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
& {1 A. T2 Q9 K7 c> 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
) `1 l: D9 d5 w7 f- O> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# {* [. z0 I4 q> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
  \3 H- E, W2 x/ T>
  V  X: w- H: A8 x! }. K5 J> You now have two choices:
* [, R) r# I2 y9 V' p3 P. o( H> 1. Delete
1 ~, d% ^( {& U. l> 2. Forward
>
& x0 j: `) z$ E5 D; m& S! a1 f5 ~> May your day, be a Shay Day.