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?
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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
" X' S+ S2 K6 e6 N# b5 k& I> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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" s# L7 p" ~5 u# g1 M. i1 V- [> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: H5 [( V! j) M& M0 g# p! t> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 c$ t7 b# _) m0 O& D" \2 Z" J> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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& C0 y3 ~! ]$ `> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
4 Q1 B* [1 K/ w* W( O- Z> 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
* f' D4 v! X* D3 T8 E> 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
> 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
$ |( L$ e6 V* O5 [/ h1 o> 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
4 y2 g8 ]. H$ A& I  F> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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. ^' j7 _! T! T1 u2 i> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
3 m" I3 p; U; k/ I/ F3 B6 d> 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
6 ?! N% E9 Q1 o> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
  e4 w- t: N' u# C. ?# t! t> 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
' T0 o5 ], n! t2 I% ~& C> 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 t' d5 K  v2 E0 c> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
4 f; E2 P2 W& `+ V) ]> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; V( A7 u; h) x3 K% t( D> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
4 j" V1 T2 ~+ w. [2 P1 Z) e4 b" B> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
( F! g* h0 @4 x6 H! H> much less connect with the ball.
0 Y' N$ B  K2 Y7 l6 H1 U> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
0 z  |) V% n3 u> 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
4 E8 q7 l& g" J2 U2 f$ L- z> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
9 `! h1 F9 Z# X0 R2 G1 D0 q9 W) l( Z> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
- t5 N$ R% U" [# Z5 G& c2 V9 n> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
7 R. G1 p2 ?5 i4 l> right back to the pitcher.
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- Y8 A0 S: `8 M, |; w> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
* f9 U. y' F& M6 @  x# M> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; ]6 a* [* @/ g" ^( J/ Z> 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
" E; m  {! }$ r& i+ a> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 l7 m! r* r; z. D> 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,
* a& n) ^& [0 P  j8 p> 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
* g0 C4 F* n2 |( J* `5 b% g> circled the bases toward home.
>
/ b) Y# D' j, h8 \> 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!
5 c+ v7 e) X* C6 y  Z( r> Shay, run to third!'
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+ {! Z( p8 D* A> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 k$ D6 G$ f! R) x) y7 F4 M* |% g> 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
' }0 v/ {8 `. }* n* r: Y0 o> 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
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% k: ?) J/ \7 ~1 e/ j2 x8 Z2 `" K% m> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
& Y5 r8 k. u% I  f! o+ }/ U> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
" y7 q7 X: w) _4 l. M% O% ]2 T> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
+ v: r$ m% N* z/ m> 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
! A' k0 @: q! r# }% b6 c" A# {, o> 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
; W/ {* m4 o& L+ x0 t> 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
0 E) F- P, V2 j. b) k6 X> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
8 m' t" T3 a& U" S: Y> You now have two choices:
6 y* |& o  t- V0 U" q% a& c> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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3 x& Z) |# ~8 k2 `; Q8 ?2 |: K/ O- |> May your day, be a Shay Day.