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?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
/ L' \; L' H1 [+ L2 @0 {> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
5 K/ E2 ^3 j, v- K> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
. ~+ n6 t3 O/ d" S$ X& v& f> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
! V6 E8 P7 q) e" q; S# R> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
2 S: U4 `! G. c& k( e> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
8 Y; M/ M6 V# t>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
, k" M3 H& U# S( x7 Q8 ]> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# |& p! d) f2 N& X6 U- H9 {9 n" d> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
& O3 e2 E, d! @. T> treat that child.'
7 e; z0 A7 @1 J/ G' Q/ |>
7 y5 A+ p  V! f! F3 l> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
0 w+ `& R: \5 p* H9 h9 ]$ h1 Q/ c9 l, `> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ Y3 L  I, N6 h) L: w> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
, F4 f5 P+ X$ f' n9 X% _> 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
! }2 z- |; O' f4 d2 m5 t) y> inning.'
- Y9 r: \# d; B4 x2 A>
& I0 U' A6 J7 v: Z% t> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
* h. T2 \/ r+ _; `  t; E9 p4 f> 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
7 g6 a0 K' R& `( \> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
7 y1 U2 B- {( f" h) W* D- q' f> 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
; ], f/ X3 W  O! K> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
4 U# \( y8 l: W7 b8 q& J! |' O$ Y8 [' ?" Q> 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
. R/ c* m3 i: v, S5 ?. u5 v1 I> next at bat.
>
> 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
5 L: u: Z) K5 D# b> 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
4 q6 W+ v" L: I$ n9 e> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
( ]7 Z, g  D; r! x5 m7 m/ V( S> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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.
>
+ H5 p; x" q# D. t7 }! z; B" f> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
- |3 E) w/ J7 ?# O( {9 y2 R> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
' M4 k) u: z+ A4 Y> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
$ G0 r: E1 l# o  J' A. P6 S* b4 i> 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
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
$ n# _2 I0 t$ A+ H+ R* w2 [> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
8 V; \& e( l) f7 y6 e> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
8 R/ @* D- E# Q5 J/ k' Z: H7 p> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
( q; L3 M2 _7 W& c' O> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
; g: W9 ~  S4 n7 N>
4 `8 `$ ?3 m3 q  q+ ~4 e' N9 A> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
0 h( L0 r) R3 f; r> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: o# }" o& ^- l2 i" `1 q5 B> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
/ v( s5 E# R8 A>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 S% D  l9 q& 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
> game for his team.
>
> '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
; U! A! F- \9 C$ x  l! R; J> into this world'.
0 r# x& f3 V( k. w  |>
. ?. V2 W) n/ k> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
  e2 P# J; P% ^> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
8 ]! d0 \& H7 |( T+ u$ v> 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
4 O: H" L/ @$ f) i  @> 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
, l2 W: n( a0 P1 c" }> 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
- l8 [0 L. g* w3 ^0 ~; @4 {( P8 o> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
" e, M3 C" s% m. T6 s6 e5 `; d> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
5 ~( ~2 f- \6 L$ B3 \* j2 Q8 T5 i3 w> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
0 r7 u, n# v0 H, Z* `# M> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 v& y, m! n$ w- u; \> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
: C6 l( h+ H6 S: n* Q: K> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
$ M. I7 x9 F* T4 K3 Q>
8 j) ^# M. M! Y> You now have two choices:
; X( O5 f' z$ r/ }4 C+ m> 1. Delete
$ l6 p! d3 C- U7 T> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.