Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
. U9 p9 ?9 P' H! E> 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, ^; z6 P9 G! f" F> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
! s4 {, J7 W$ a> staff, he offered a question:
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3 t+ k0 m/ t# B8 O' Z; S> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
8 }( B" T# y8 k( I, V* x# d> 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?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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# C) p6 J% s/ J2 g: u; y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
3 ?; H  m; r' p+ [2 O> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> 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
8 C; m, F  D$ v# f; H3 V> 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,
" |$ c- [- W- j3 D) M> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 d$ X4 H3 r+ v/ s; T> 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
) Y  D1 r1 w/ G& `& G> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
! g- f) V. y+ r3 K0 c3 W> inning.'
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> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
( \. N0 z' j. n: y5 o> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, `" I* X4 ]3 `, o4 l* Q> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
- X* `/ k7 A" x& Q9 ]: j" ?. V' u% M> 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
" f  X& {4 h  `0 }& `> 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.
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: V% x# q( H4 S( b% ?6 u> 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.
> 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
> 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
1 a- m) }2 k$ k> 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
' D. \) U, b4 x> right back to the pitcher.
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$ V2 l" q( j( J( O! _> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
6 `& q* S! i9 J0 R& ?> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
" P# a$ N) M  j9 q( \  S> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
: t+ h! r0 [4 A* `; N, ]" O4 K> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
8 g, Q" e4 p3 g3 l* l; O+ r  d& Y7 T5 _> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 }* f+ g9 o3 `8 Y4 y3 C- \2 D> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
1 |7 v# x: {- C> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
* q1 }% L1 \$ n) z6 z* m- d1 I> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
& h- {4 @6 f' F' U. r> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
3 ^! K% m8 r: r# g> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
& Y/ N- Z1 u" ?$ x) `/ }> Shay, run to third!'
>
9 P) t& p3 N7 _: q' J( D> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ I% x9 \8 k* Z# z7 i6 @; Y4 {& T) c> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
6 e/ l: B9 i  v> 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
> into this world'.
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4 W, E2 J- M$ F0 `> 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
9 R( d8 Z2 @. S# I> 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
! @" Y; F5 C4 r% x5 v> 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
+ D5 w* q9 F" I$ x+ G> 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
1 M# G! G0 v7 {# @& r> 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
8 G6 o/ w, c3 a$ x$ W9 o; d  {9 l> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
# e5 t: O) @+ e- i1 B> bit colder in the process?
>
$ t7 p- z8 ^/ k) I: J> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' N) e2 y0 u  }  j4 }0 H& t> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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2 ^' o" ], R: x> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 B, ]9 X7 Z; H0 u# ^% H6 Q6 H> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.