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?
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> 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
* Y4 j) J; @$ M# c4 _6 n> 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
- E5 r* }; c1 p$ y. I> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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5 M' X( E# k( O8 W/ \> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
/ c4 w' `! \& _> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
) v2 [' ]2 e% ~" l> 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.'
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> 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
- W$ j2 O0 G/ c. f$ Q> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
$ r6 _6 [8 _2 R& B( ?( F> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
/ Y" R( H% T# r7 U6 c: Q) s0 p; h> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
5 k8 W# N. s0 Z- I# n" h> 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
> 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
/ P: C. H6 P- @+ k8 x1 m> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
* a! x" s0 q# k2 D: j2 b> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
9 N& Q/ [& A; b$ L3 N> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
* h) [5 R! v+ c& f  }+ |: K( ~> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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. }: ?8 s; n/ k; d" O: x> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
7 e' W) H0 X+ G3 I% g: O& y! D! b> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
6 {. ^: }% t3 s# z5 r6 ]' l> 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
( M6 w( R( \6 P7 M) @> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
2 o" X5 E& S! P5 r> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
* }) z' ~5 p, x" i> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
# N: F) p  H3 d9 D. C> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 L8 N4 A' J2 I* q- F. A> 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
> 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
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
3 o4 F9 P& j% w5 _- r, F0 n, E3 \> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
$ A& G5 u% [+ i, ^9 M* o# s2 q% g> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
2 Q% V7 J8 u2 r2 v> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
7 u9 h, y- k9 y$ Y+ L> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
! \3 j. X1 Z' \0 x> circled the bases toward home.
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4 R7 o! N# c& R> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
  k/ d) O- n6 D9 z> 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!
$ Q9 ]3 ~. Q, n$ H$ {> Shay, run to third!'
>
1 \" b* O$ K2 Q# @> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
' l, i" Z& O/ y$ [> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
9 l; v( p0 \6 T  L& E& C> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
9 d- B# ^' a- t> game for his team.
>
, v5 t* [7 |# T- `  g8 r> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
# j$ V$ H9 q7 \& q* ]% g  c> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> 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
> 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
1 v# k0 z5 z4 H> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
8 g  R; {9 F$ D' {: i: X; q> 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
& r' X* t( T' y8 j6 X* M> 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
6 l/ \( k6 h- y4 `> 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
, B, y5 W" r7 ~1 X' o& a& C1 F> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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2 u3 g0 H7 ~$ }) ?* _> A wise man once said every society is judged by
+ K, D6 v. `( i7 v, N; B/ ?> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
$ D, J! D" M! Z5 E> May your day, be a Shay Day.