Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 c5 k( w( ]0 y7 f> 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,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
( `( |8 V2 J4 S/ Q1 U) s3 C> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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1 h0 s  E5 ^0 M- t: w4 q> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
  I/ q$ L4 s1 B. i1 c8 r2 _> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
5 L- Y9 |' l, M0 f& _> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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" y- Q9 ?( r8 v> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
0 A% t/ t* A& S4 b- g& H9 v> 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
5 ]9 R  Z+ v9 [5 x+ Q9 G4 Y> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
' d7 q6 w3 ^* k$ H5 H0 A> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( k8 w- Y, \8 w- b$ [  I> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
& R  w0 n" p; q> 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
1 v" q/ O$ `" T7 K7 t> inning.'
>
> 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
1 x  Y9 H, h+ Y/ K: D, Y% M> 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
, S# ?# W0 u% n> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
0 I+ J0 a0 @9 e> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
4 J5 _0 v/ V4 N- H  L4 y, A4 y>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
8 M& v0 n9 ?  j/ Y> 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,
) r$ E1 t. U6 n' R. ^4 u. m> much less connect with the ball.
3 u- [& k6 \+ d9 w/ A2 G1 X# ^8 E> 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
4 K& J& M; g/ u8 `. _* s& c> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% c0 U& g. I2 b7 o4 u1 R5 K> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
6 ?* P0 q9 C& y> 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.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
; Q+ ~* p: v" j# {+ E) |> 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.
>
5 @1 a% a) h# o. m> 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
8 {: X6 y: D% b) S& c> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
2 o, E' b& w3 e8 d> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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4 l" k/ d" P- ?; F9 }6 ?' N> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
  _) c; N; M1 P> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
* w* {' Z8 U! E+ i4 N4 a> 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
/ {" A) b" J9 q* V4 j+ a, H9 x> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
( y% b) h" q- G9 Y0 o5 i) N> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
! a. i# b  M# p6 _2 c> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
) Y1 V" z7 o$ e: Y# `' }+ L> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
. f2 ~9 l1 U; Q' \) L* R> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
) L2 {" t+ r) E5 W1 M& U' A$ T. H> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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# b2 ~* K1 N% c; o3 \% [> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# F2 e+ Y: J7 y+ g5 U  ~$ D2 h8 r  V> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
8 `; w2 y8 }5 @8 h/ \> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
5 h, _* c: P& \( O- B$ K6 B$ o> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 l' m6 o+ }* r8 I3 Q+ w) _# m> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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" s1 c" a" N3 H- K2 E9 D> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 M; P& E- u- d% `) y% i6 b> 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!
>
8 ]9 q3 H1 r, l4 O9 D- U> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
2 u4 i, s5 A: @& L: t> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
6 s0 ]- v* `3 T> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
7 |4 r% A( ~. H* Y> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
. v3 F" }4 T! Y$ z0 z>
3 i5 t+ g8 T- @) B$ Z> 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
> '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
. ~, q3 g8 R  ]* ^! Y> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
, @) [& C* D5 a- i; a* g8 l$ C/ [> 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
6 N3 p8 ~6 E9 V- n> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 z, s. B: W$ D; N( j> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
* x: P6 g4 y3 ]$ ~2 |> You now have two choices:
, m0 ~% P8 a$ u1 R. }> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
' }& [" }  S/ j& q/ Z7 C6 f> May your day, be a Shay Day.