Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
/ i) ^! m: x+ E/ b% {. Z& ^> 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
7 I& o" }" _( u# p> 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
5 @0 R9 k" e+ H  |6 k4 h: @: ^> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 r* `* Q2 k) G> 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?'
  M$ w2 v9 u( ^0 s3 [1 v2 f* K>
$ h' V& |8 I! {# A3 @> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
1 t& R' q' _" R% J- e  `. Y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
2 o& O9 B! ]% F" K# f$ e> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
8 R$ G$ B/ y& n/ R5 U% E> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ {' c% |* a: a9 m) k$ ~/ t( U> 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
6 w( k8 e! o. }> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% }9 a9 [' E; y$ u3 a% b) e> 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
$ `7 X7 Q% N" ~7 |2 i! V8 @  z> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
) Y; s' M% u/ X2 \, \- V> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
+ B* v5 m) B1 r1 H  p> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
$ h5 X+ z6 V! R0 e" L. [8 z2 c> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
2 d, L3 X* ^6 N# B- t> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
1 a* B& \/ C6 p! y5 @> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
8 ~# h. T9 W5 x> 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
% Y; w2 d2 \5 T% `; a> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
; ?7 Q: Z) V, g> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
) E0 f4 Y" Q. ]: R. N; A; ^> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
9 d  j  X2 \' S- a5 r2 H, |> next at bat.
>
; f( M- x" Q. N2 }: r> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ T$ s( e5 L; C> 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
& A# m9 v6 Q8 {$ `9 S( E> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
, ^1 B" b, x. o8 q( N! i> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
' j" E1 ]+ }8 l5 O* V+ Q> 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.
>
: P. P( I; x0 N+ [" @7 V2 h' Q> 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.
# T: ?$ n8 @& d3 V; p, B>
/ b5 V  @6 N5 O. U( a" L> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
: c3 k3 ]0 K! K6 X0 E8 U4 H# H3 }> 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
# w6 o) E. o2 F, s7 {+ c/ _> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
. e' g# }, ~( \9 R> 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
> 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
; r5 i1 L. X- m/ e# F; U+ [+ o, @> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
/ Y% N1 F9 ]; h' C7 d" {> 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
4 m) [( L3 h/ C> circled the bases toward home.
>
' y- H- H& C1 |9 p7 ^5 u  t> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
) `) ~) i' k5 o5 e0 g' M1 N: {> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
+ U' F  T6 N7 a, w>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 @3 y7 b7 @4 R2 ~1 Q> 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 p* a/ H# F" J) {2 V+ G3 u> game for his team.
9 n$ S6 I& X) [5 @- C  J! Y>
* B; J/ S( w+ O> '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
; N8 I" G5 `$ U: y& C! `* _> into this world'.
8 J. W+ q2 _+ s, @" v0 \% \>
2 m* ~( y& H# V: P: K8 S> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
8 t6 g( N3 `; [& b: T> 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!
9 n3 V; ^' Q# {- t+ u1 v! ^>
> 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
% @* l- K$ {# U; P# v3 M> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
: y' i; F+ e+ `& B) y! R9 t$ @> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
: G/ b: ]1 Q; e1 j* f> 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
  s; h$ ]- W; e# d4 o; V> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
3 i+ T3 h0 J- U% y* s; f> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
2 ]+ G5 M- A: \9 T! ^( X( b> bit colder in the process?
, u% J: K! `. l% W' o>
" h5 U+ P& W( W% w> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% v, o2 R  Z- U5 `4 x> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
3 p5 c; ~' M4 u4 U>
3 F2 I7 e, K: q2 }: G; ~( `- }> You now have two choices:
2 g2 |" G7 ^) c( F! K2 H> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
5 D+ X# s+ V9 J- r1 M/ b: ^* Q. Q> May your day, be a Shay Day.