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?
>
> 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
: x4 X- j9 V2 {# V8 l/ V$ F> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
! z. q9 Y6 K) ^! M> staff, he offered a question:
>
. V. i$ s" a, |0 u& P- k- G" W> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 P9 I  l* R& P2 B3 a% v> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 g2 m/ U1 M( V+ |; k> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
+ M  K0 m1 f6 _% b$ h> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
9 E- x( l2 l4 f+ c' e>
( M5 l) D: G0 l8 m' }3 q+ {% \> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 }7 [9 `% |7 u4 a$ g> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 j$ U$ N) B& E8 q> treat that child.'
>
) W0 t: k2 Y- d  F# l3 Y; ?8 J> Then he told the following story:
: m: T- s4 J! f9 j>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# n7 J- i8 |8 W9 Y- {4 K2 M& X> 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,
4 M9 E7 Q2 ]& b) `( Q6 P* m: A# X> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
* [8 |- z6 P7 \6 b> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
0 F: q* B. C& l  Y& ?, O>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' `' z$ F) p: ?6 q/ o% E/ C> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
# c( p6 {, ?4 ?7 a( n' ~> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
) h! N+ D: U: ^% ^7 H- Q> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
# |7 S7 J+ x9 v! y, X, O> inning.'
>
> 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
, Z5 Y$ q3 k! M+ U; E: J> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
  H) Y" X, |# {: C> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
. m3 M$ Z0 Z' Y, ^4 D, F, T; D> 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
; d0 c% ?' s# U8 x& ~7 E8 t& U> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" e3 f6 d" A# h  b6 @) t> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
5 F: K9 Z- o1 |" o9 B>
> 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
0 x+ z& T" f( X3 r> 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
! G# y% ?) Z2 Q! q+ O+ y> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ C7 Q; @. @* o; X> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
> 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.
- ]  ~2 y/ Q4 X8 U& r9 C/ ~- y$ T> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
5 w# ?- |! `% F/ f5 F  s> right back to the pitcher.
0 W# N$ _* y" a% }; b$ d>
> 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
- h0 Y2 A5 l7 T( V9 j> out and that would have been the end of the game.
9 R) h2 z/ ?; [+ U>
5 w7 N! h1 C$ r, |8 f5 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
# F$ B  i5 H  Y1 |' L, X; o> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" k5 v  m" a( a$ U7 O> 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,
; E& b; X4 A) O- q1 X# `> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
1 J) x' o9 O( L  u/ P> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
/ l3 \0 ]% e. L+ N  v- m9 I> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
7 a' L1 J$ x4 `; x& n0 c9 `> 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!'
>
> 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 N4 N& P: P: w1 {2 D> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
: }& h3 b8 w1 Z' ?5 I% e- s> game for his team.
>
9 P& Y  ^7 L3 ^% q> '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
7 y. W; i2 L. c8 L8 R+ `0 k> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 H- Y6 l/ h5 w5 k5 o: q> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
7 x# L7 {/ p* N7 }' T* O1 |( D5 Q> 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
5 q! [' {: z# V+ p> 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
+ u% Y/ i( T5 Y6 s; S, p> 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
> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
" {5 P/ R8 F1 Y* a) \& t! V> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, V; j! M6 b( T' {5 O, n> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
  P2 c4 c0 y6 M  b) v> 2. Forward
3 E* Y9 D- p5 z6 x>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.