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
9 x; H# a. B5 t% y/ y> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. ?' Z  w7 v, @8 N' b> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
, f0 W& T9 _/ d5 z- @$ n( L( R> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
% W0 f) `2 m( Y3 m* E8 M> staff, he offered a question:
>
, j, {* p- l5 v" }2 I( a> '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
, Z! E5 Y1 m9 p> natural order of things in my son?'
>
) |2 R/ Y+ [6 @- z. L> The audience was stilled by the query.
' \. m! @; E& ~- V, T2 [>
- d/ a4 P( e. r! G6 i3 u9 @# U> 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.'
>
% ?# T$ n( J0 L" d$ J' \# x1 D1 ]- ?> Then he told the following story:
>
! l  ^  ^$ s) H6 X9 g> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 S& F6 o# x' ^# A) N3 w7 `2 S> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
2 n% T  m0 g) A+ m: R+ [6 C> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
5 t- C8 d" H1 J+ `3 B> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
' G$ m' @' ~8 V, C. }>
> 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
> 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 D, D( |2 c' Q. b0 @; h- d- n7 p> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
3 s  P3 s6 _! o6 X9 H9 S) y> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
1 }) v6 Q1 _: q9 g1 O" J> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
( N: \$ d! `/ ~$ B; k7 t> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
* s3 K6 p# k; @* A6 m4 ?2 M6 b8 u> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
> 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
; w0 K# G( t+ p9 K' W) G> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
7 w( a+ n9 A5 n! c' ~1 k2 z  J> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
, _- L+ `4 O1 e+ V6 F: [> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
: ?+ e7 }  h, {2 g> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 N, t& d8 b2 Y0 F! D% z> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
, J  ~) G/ s8 i- B/ Z> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
! a, m# l$ }, f; d> 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
* X; B8 d4 S5 ~+ x) _> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
8 ^+ U; u( S& L! _> 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
) d4 Q8 [* _8 {- q: o- C* m9 @& A> 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.
>
> 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
& R5 t* H( K- [& g; U> 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.
1 ]% I8 W+ t/ j* ~, Q! y>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
" z* Y% G* T7 n+ k# ~> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
. K" N" [! j5 z0 B- F0 r> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
( \: i! e$ |0 _( @5 Y$ u7 K> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
4 I1 Z. M6 f4 L> 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
; `3 M$ V8 y; Q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
6 l, g/ l- `! Z>
+ D2 _1 A( Q; X! ~7 x6 S> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
# Q& S. G0 H8 W7 M>
> 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!
% D" M* |; X$ b, q! h) ^2 u> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
- h% u; k4 Z( D0 z: `) M3 g0 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
> into this world'.
>
7 p8 l9 D1 H) ]( U" R# `- a) M> 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
> 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
! E- X5 p9 P) [9 b8 f> 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
) d( ~& X+ m: S; F# k8 r  @" E0 z> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
5 H$ D4 Q* H: v, x: E+ i> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 a/ @* u5 d$ \0 O; |. j* K> 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
! l/ z+ p( L" g5 j> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
( _+ h% H1 M+ M! m2 k2 z! i> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
+ z$ R# b$ _7 o- E( J, g! s- [9 r3 s> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
( {# l9 `# w. i4 h! Y1 l  r% ]> 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
- f5 R9 p( A0 n3 P% {2 P> bit colder in the process?
>
$ J% P( B1 R; N$ R> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; U) y% B# T9 N4 u1 @> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
3 X* V6 t+ t/ ^1 C; N/ I>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.