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
; D6 ~! ]6 q1 n$ R$ h> 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
- f  I) S1 R+ k. ?# N0 s> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 V1 D: g, m- {7 _> 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
# n3 `/ U0 s: D) @+ Q9 P> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
# f( c/ |. u. W) I3 r, ?0 t> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
5 g) ^5 [$ {% X  G3 i8 O0 s& d- Y. @' c> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
( L9 M4 N8 q6 A, J3 A> 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
8 g: R) }) e- V* Y5 e> 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,
  |7 g& g9 M; z. A> 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
" S4 Y2 x0 M3 ^% @> 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
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ ~4 t* Q9 y2 v  m" o3 |5 Q5 R2 w> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
% M8 e, G% ~: Z6 K/ g/ G> 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
* Z/ P* R8 j5 U> 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
' U; U4 f. I* v2 Z> 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
9 p- ~3 d  t3 N' V; f* V> next at bat.
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6 l" W' ]* u/ f- e  _$ v* n( F> 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
& T0 `0 F% S7 @: K. R. W# i> 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
! \& E* X7 X' w+ d  U6 D) ^# _2 P4 r> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
3 O5 u' ]4 Z& ?( o7 Y; `) m> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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.
>
> 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
  J- E* _* W4 |4 h( w/ s5 B7 i! X> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
" M9 k& s) K6 x> wide-eyed and startled.
>
+ u, `' g4 s+ k6 X' N' E# {> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
( z4 p5 c3 c9 q: \: _4 h+ Q; J/ ~: S> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
* }6 _1 H* U  m- c. r, f& t; j$ D> 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,
! x) f: P) g* B# q- P! e> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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. L6 W5 O+ s4 G4 ^) i. d> 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!
2 @, W# f, d% r" M  b) \> Shay, run to third!'
>
* a. ^6 q2 C! f" V- m> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
1 N7 D0 K7 s9 f4 L9 D> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
* V2 y7 t! a( F2 c' ~> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
% q9 ~& l; G: i) \> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> 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!
>
0 }% w& g) L+ A# a8 A, R# G> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
1 r" d  S& J& z$ B" Q; F> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
$ Q8 k5 V6 B9 ?3 S% K$ m> 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.
>
3 P) d! f# f5 ?5 X  H> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ w% A2 k+ ?0 S  Z8 G+ J5 V> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
( F1 r7 v/ |# l# b! {> '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
( B9 M5 ~# Z, q" D, ]. O> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
. N6 G+ Z  W- J1 F> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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+ O1 Q) |# g  g/ q' k> A wise man once said every society is judged by
. z. C" Z' i/ ~5 U; R> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
* w. a! C9 k  l4 o  s. X+ a> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
; b4 d% h6 L* d: ~7 C> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.