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
: p4 X0 [( u+ f6 B" |3 D> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
6 p) `2 u' |* k  r& c) ]8 H> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
* v2 w7 A" F7 G; H3 q> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
4 B  r- u0 a! }% l5 o: t* M! q> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
; x* m0 |* Z; Y' Q" [  I> 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.'
0 @0 d) L( [7 e. r3 L5 `>
, n& \6 H! u7 K8 D7 a% h> Then he told the following story:
$ {$ ?6 ~- _. L. a>
) ?: W3 a0 B1 d' \8 l0 a> 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
2 ~% C* j! Z' h> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
) R* ^8 z7 j2 X3 _> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
( V6 O6 @8 Q, V  k> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
' j& V/ c5 e3 w( y  H> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
+ a6 d$ t0 c1 W$ P& `5 b; B>
/ |! ~% U2 f! w> 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
' }: Z! S) n4 J! Q> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
9 B; h& ^  t" x1 C) O7 F9 H% w> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
( E+ b* I! z, \> 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
1 t9 d; s: E( Q3 D) }8 I' e4 |> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
" t* O  ~; D( g0 |$ }6 D1 P5 ^> 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
0 l' L% x: K$ }. X> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
) p- t/ j  f. O> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
( C$ L. Y, J- [. D* a9 o> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
: a+ ~; X# u3 @  o" c> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  Y0 X! t" c0 Q$ B" j4 F& U; v> 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,
0 ~3 H, g2 D1 t8 |& V4 e$ D> much less connect with the ball.
' \/ C, q. q! p, ?! @3 [" f> 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
3 l& z6 I% N" z* {> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
: ~1 p4 s2 n. D% {1 k) w, X/ i, |> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
$ X# ~5 L: s. z% _' ?  w>
> 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
$ L0 n$ E5 N6 a) ?4 S) H; q6 E> out and that would have been the end of the game.
, r* |) a! r0 s>
> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
  i+ D3 W0 I; s, t> 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
& L2 y; a% z7 p8 E> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
( C9 {, a/ X+ U> 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
5 l# z" q/ V7 Z% u> 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
  L) u. I  J* f/ o> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
7 P& [5 Z, |6 u' v+ A>
- U0 s4 q4 h. m: O, ~; S> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
. B' w: a; u5 r  M& N8 A: ]. _>
3 w8 S2 i* c4 E. ]; b, C> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 P% g% i/ U, p> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
, v& t, u, B- F- H$ X0 r& d> Shay, run to third!'
>
6 d, h% x, K0 a) k> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
9 W' X& p5 O. F> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
% e- V% o9 s# F' ^$ W. _7 c>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
- e+ M: _( D' j8 r: m* z( E> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
0 K9 _/ k2 F: F  ~# Q& o. D7 h; F" U> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 u4 P/ H& O  S! ^# F4 O: }. e> 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
0 m/ a* _+ f. A( |> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
  _6 d- Q  i( V5 j6 P>
" l2 t, r0 ?* A2 t" p+ g" Z> 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
0 P* N$ F: ]% |> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
/ v0 M( u" B$ t: _0 `" _# `> 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
7 _, q, M: h9 N/ G! t* C- W> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
" Z$ B2 H  G! @( [3 n% d6 s0 p> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
: g8 ]7 `6 [3 |2 Q3 z0 r! |> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
& N  t' K- e2 U  w' E> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
' q) f( ~0 J9 e1 N> 2. Forward
>
' I$ m; W) ^9 c- f> May your day, be a Shay Day.