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,
+ Y1 q* c) b  D/ A> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
' x/ ]' Y" G; ~$ B> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> 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
% y4 U3 o& H, O. d6 @, I/ |( W> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
$ T( {' u" @6 J( x  o" _> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
$ z1 \5 m* @3 b0 J& s5 f) X> 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.'
>
2 B; v9 U1 s  f# x5 [% [& j0 u> 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
2 o" M: X$ d- a; t> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
9 k: j' k# I1 W6 D& ]/ F> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
  p* m* o- p2 r2 Y0 i# X* W> 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
> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) q  p4 X& |- }+ e1 a4 y/ Q> 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
' B% s, k4 H* A> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
$ y: c: f7 `7 ^# y+ t2 m! N: x( D> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 Z$ E7 x1 \6 n0 l/ R> 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.
>
) X6 k: T/ J0 x: e5 b0 T  t- 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,
% }* B. B: R, H; @7 J> much less connect with the ball.
3 o6 q& S6 @$ @4 R; a: i> 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
" L) \6 {; |0 A" {. c( m8 l> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
- j* x" b! a. g9 e> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
- U' u: g9 Y3 B, @& B: j! S$ O> 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.
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8 V2 p7 k; X" Z6 Z6 x> 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.
>
, M& o& x* @+ B$ m, P! V> 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
* _- b% Q6 O: C> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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) H+ w8 f! k- @: ]" P* G" S! H> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
- r/ H! A  S/ W2 x> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
+ V1 q4 G4 {8 c6 N4 o( l> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
4 k, D+ R/ ]# C% P; N7 ~2 T> 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,
> 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.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
% E9 X2 w; _+ M& F( [# c0 M0 G* p> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
/ P' I' N" x: W6 }) P; p! S> Shay, run to third!'
>
; ?; Q' G5 f# ]: n# g; D. V> 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
* ?, X8 F( a. Q2 E: j4 {# ?- [, ^/ h> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
! M3 r$ H7 s9 i9 F0 h" \> game for his team.
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: E! ^2 p% b/ g6 E3 d: v6 T> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
; `7 y7 C- i' e* M- U> '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
0 t' ]# Q6 ~' N0 F' J> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
  P( [2 g! p- T( m3 s8 p2 R; g> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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" y* A: W/ }4 ?( e0 c6 `# @> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
$ |1 Y. i( x7 x7 j! q* ~; B, D> 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.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: x7 l, a  m+ n1 I  J7 N> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
6 M. Y/ b2 m8 a7 s: N9 U" j> '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
' g  B9 G5 C4 {6 w2 q> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
) `9 W. W  @, O; c> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
/ C' m! K, O& r3 [> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' R$ x8 Y, e  K2 s  |' `1 l5 _  ~> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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5 k8 K! `: d/ ~> You now have two choices:
" ~: g# }: n1 c( s% n8 H> 1. Delete
8 ^, O( J8 x+ V' k. r. V) P! b> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.