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
  T, V9 s2 x. x1 r> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
: }# {+ e2 P# z) [" x> 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
2 i* j* P3 e2 H$ V# Y5 X> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; Z* B7 [! T- t4 p% ]* G  V> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 S- N* K6 V5 ~9 L1 y> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
+ s9 k. C  b# F) i>
& C0 O& q  `4 b> The audience was stilled by the query.
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1 l9 h; M) ~: G- H$ j> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
: w2 |. v2 }# i+ a  b/ h' T> 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:
>
7 O* q$ A9 _' H' H/ @7 k> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
+ O& P; h. a0 Z5 q> 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
> 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
, \; P( z( P' m9 `) _/ x( W- M# L> 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
0 w; u7 X0 I2 w& x> 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 S& E$ h( {& U/ m7 m> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
+ E1 b1 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
* u# Y$ `2 d2 Q9 V0 X( r( W2 Y> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
! K* ^3 v$ q  i) u' W+ @8 t> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 L' p# q. f; c! c/ {% X> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
% R0 b3 `9 o" D: f, o6 u; ~1 L> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
: Y: |* B8 C. @1 Q8 c& f; O, y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
( u- f) ]) t) [> next at bat.
>
$ Q, }  t* `0 E1 S4 Z> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> 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,
# H& B+ a9 b- T- _6 T' P> much less connect with the ball.
. H& @8 t" W9 c> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
* V9 r0 d  m& I. F> 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
! z8 {; X0 K, d" p; G' e> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
+ e8 H$ ^: \  ]& ]: ]> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
: X9 S" _& u9 @; r3 p3 }> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
( b: d3 |& u& O  Y! H! n' [  U> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' T( |$ i: Y3 y/ q5 [> 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
4 }" z; j! X/ Q, D9 Q. X! i> 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
% O4 v5 R4 W' H1 ?- v; K> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
( D. w4 m& ~  t0 Q, K> wide-eyed and startled.
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& l8 Z; w" d5 a& L# p+ L: M> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) \6 v% M7 O) b0 \+ h> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> 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,
1 Z2 s, Y* J5 G7 b  m> 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
- P* [8 H! a# b" u> circled the bases toward home.
7 w9 H% o( |; b# ^7 `# [# n6 M! g>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
' \% w3 H2 Z1 u& ]7 T1 I3 c> 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!
# n) L9 S/ ^# k7 m" L  S> 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
1 `' [$ {" r- u> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
' m. J/ Y, l- d. P" x0 X* J% V8 T> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
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* u; W* C8 `' N! a' _' j& r! q> 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!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* w. N3 |$ U( e2 o0 M) T+ g+ z> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
! t  E: Z2 ?6 [' ^6 B> 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
2 x" `+ ~: l2 \/ C# i> '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
1 E- z: e4 s) x2 `- I5 P> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
( w8 a' ^2 D( o7 G; G> 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
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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+ @: m! O% T+ r> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.