Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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,
" `+ w. O+ B1 \  l> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
* @$ _' s5 H" J  {; H/ j3 T> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
# o+ Y9 Z3 j: [> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 r1 V: M5 o7 K6 Z) t. Z4 E0 O# s> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% E! Z& y* Y0 |! I: i, D5 w> 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:
>
6 v5 \. U* u- I: f- D. m> 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
* R! Z! k( \2 }) b/ `1 ^9 n" p3 r> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 p- _" ?; x% S4 l2 z' z0 @> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
7 T2 k# ]" y: B> 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
& Y  Y% m' }& }8 }( f+ S! @> 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
0 x5 O. s; C0 d6 f> inning.'
>
: E* ^* p5 E# \9 D5 I# b> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
, q/ c0 q% Z2 C6 ~> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
' W6 y6 D/ `4 K, I; j: j> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
& g& }9 c4 t2 W> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
5 m( x: P2 x' i  @3 }  {7 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
2 d& y6 ]: X' m9 o" {" l> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
4 j, L2 x+ `& }> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
6 s  b. X3 q0 o9 t> 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
/ z' Z$ ~# Q1 Y* r1 x! d* d; x! i> next at bat.
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, Q- P+ O% @1 p> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; S& \: ~4 X7 F5 l! Q: 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
( |; ?# Y$ S; c% ], x* b> 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
" r9 k* i1 b4 j( K+ U9 g& C* D> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
: z3 A+ R  w& {* z, E+ P> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
2 ?" |2 k. S, C2 k  b> 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.
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> 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
. ~* l" L9 N5 J8 c, D! ~> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
# Q" A4 ?0 U' H1 c! s> 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
& V8 Z& a; x; h: M+ c> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
; z2 |3 ?* E& y, X6 m, x/ E> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
- O9 N% {# h) ^2 B% i> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
% t  {* l8 a3 y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
# L  ~1 ^$ K5 u5 J> 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
- p& n& _' }# @: k9 S> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
9 Q" t  I: ~/ G- l, M> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
! a1 I5 p6 o* Q0 P> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
; R& n. a9 l; a$ g, ^. L# v> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 q3 v. s0 [5 ?7 Z+ H/ V1 k> 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!
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> 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
5 V+ ^: V! ?" L8 h  {+ B5 O> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
$ ^, u5 a& j4 U( J  b2 ~7 w> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
9 d0 q4 s3 Q- y5 n. L5 u# y+ X% @  j> 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
> '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
/ k$ J, h, y) m7 C# @2 C> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
" ^2 U  M" `% V4 r9 ~> 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
1 d& y6 K# P+ _$ H. N. ^1 b> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
  ?6 `# K" e4 {8 q# o> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
1 g5 \8 |4 U9 `. l1 S: L9 u> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.