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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( n4 N. I6 @' h4 S> 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
( N; ?4 k4 ]2 w" ?> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
' p" O3 b4 ~: G- j6 @# W! \>
" e% s% A2 b' a% s' X% k/ z: v> '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
$ p* z, s) }4 Z$ f+ J! _% l$ T  J6 _> natural order of things in my son?'
>
( T; M8 h: d) B) |5 X> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
  I2 P# `) L+ l% I  K4 s5 t> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
- l( T) E) E, g- B$ d> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 ]2 U# s2 w  t> treat that child.'
: q: V- Y$ R% [8 C>
9 L: L9 ^8 c# n> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
  Y& |6 ?& d, S" G5 F/ t) X> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
/ Z6 t3 q1 [. H5 z8 I> 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,
3 Y8 @- b$ L2 J0 ?( S) F> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ @; h/ I' Y! D+ j, J> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ F$ z+ l! P0 C- v* c5 u8 ]> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
8 h# k* f) y" j! J: m> inning.'
3 h4 v! d; b& J4 T- t>
> 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
. v/ ~8 j" P( L  k> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
$ B2 A6 r0 |7 j( s$ S  M> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
/ O+ l* N: z. U! S2 \% o2 B> 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
0 B5 c. I  ^! k: Y  Z; J> 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
7 V1 k# L9 c+ m% H/ I1 |6 K7 q> 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
5 l$ |3 R4 S/ r> 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.
1 d! F& ?6 ~0 J* Z  b. Q' p  ^> 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
) ~$ X" t$ K/ u* N; d% ^7 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.
* ?$ N, x" a- n: b3 R> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
, i' s. t# i  a% c> 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
; K1 C& z9 I7 _9 a" j. a7 R3 k> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
) y" I$ Q# p: w# z1 J1 W/ P> 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.
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( e. _" B. R+ C) U2 y> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
( h; X2 G0 {2 f> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
8 R; n( y; b; y: W- b5 x0 c8 |  T7 h> 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
; B) O( a3 p7 j- ]$ F> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
+ N; \6 a/ H% ^, Z5 O> 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
8 C+ A0 A, |3 E& R/ c( D> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 W( K' d5 P5 |> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
% a; K, U% g8 i# j. z- z/ K9 a> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
% Q3 t1 b  ^" W1 h; B7 t> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
7 ~% L% e+ S8 ]# U% v2 N> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
, w: b  p& n; P: w9 H( @> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
0 w  L2 v) s6 F( q> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- Y5 S. z  w. ]# ]" t> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
8 L6 D4 t2 O0 g0 @5 U# K> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
: ]2 l4 ^& y; W2 z) g' y' `>
% d) `( w, U+ @% r8 M> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
8 p, s1 s) h# E3 m. ^> 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
9 o. ~5 C4 |& C  t> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
7 v  d$ Z7 D: A, ^7 C3 }. a> 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
- o' r9 v2 e' T1 e; ?3 N> 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.
5 J6 S" I- Y9 u>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
9 @  o6 K9 g* `. E>
: ]% U2 j4 _8 c6 Y+ G( [3 H$ P> May your day, be a Shay Day.