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?
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4 C6 E+ A: W% _! p5 Y# f> 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
# f1 q/ E" b# v6 n2 W> staff, he offered a question:
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# o( F" z8 m% M> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) e9 f1 @% x: {1 Y0 p' a( J3 t> 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?'
>
/ p) P( o/ u1 ^8 j> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
5 a. `1 H- c  |> 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
" ?2 T( w; @* Y! s+ V> treat that child.'
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  \, b* v; b- _2 {  |6 x0 I> 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
  `5 ?2 @. W' N4 b: G6 r- b> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 M, Y0 k8 u& Z) T) K$ Q% W> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ _, U, m" Z# ]1 K$ T4 m- ?  p> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
: e* E/ H  D0 h* u> 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
* q# c8 k' y& W6 a> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
9 ]4 \# u. ]3 o, ]8 N0 p# ^> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 [! v1 F5 w7 v4 u# [1 e2 D> 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
+ o, R) o- `+ i> 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
, d0 ^; J0 h, F4 Z; l> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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# _# Z  Z) v4 D. n> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 x/ m; Y% i, G5 ]> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
! p" B. \' N5 H; T' N9 k% t> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
" [) d# \- k0 r3 L$ @$ z> 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
8 n- B" b9 T$ y- |> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
$ ?$ c4 t% Q7 k/ B9 R& G4 m/ I5 `> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
  Z7 [( w! E' ^/ ?> right back to the pitcher.
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" \" d" f* G6 T> 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
  l$ y( J$ C8 a- G> 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$ F  O' J$ t8 ~> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
7 Z8 G8 D) E& r" v: K  ?> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
+ e( R2 M# D( m9 ?> 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
+ h  O. P% O7 k  D4 o" \> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
3 `8 Z8 C8 B: N/ f0 n> 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,
) _8 Q6 W+ C) ^6 G# ^> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
4 D: [$ n5 X' I# l> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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' o1 _/ |% d. Z+ Z1 `7 P% }7 K. u> 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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. B( n  Z; Q! A3 H7 D> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
! q* R2 Z- x' }8 v) K( j# b# W2 ^> 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.
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> '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'.
>
> 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
! {: R- L: @/ R; G% D/ {7 S7 b  j* `> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 a* e4 c  W1 b2 b' H* C/ K> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
6 M4 b" R" l" z! Q6 O> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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) q" y) a2 ~8 o5 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
0 k. H) c' y6 j' A$ ~3 o1 x> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
( c- y; `- J/ w6 Y> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
1 X  R3 U% {5 K1 R3 x  m> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
# ^6 ~/ m4 p- d' D4 V> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
3 j. h0 `! V1 D7 n* `> bit colder in the process?
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: B; c; Y- h2 e2 z6 |> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
4 d; D7 |' `5 t) Q. b" n% D> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.