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,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
* M/ {" ]. L! z. ^- y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
% \/ {, i# [8 r> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# A, R5 u; W$ J* n" I> 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?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 K  A* ?+ ~4 ~5 c+ l> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
( u0 C* d; V! l0 I1 }$ D> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
; U' |: i( @2 f> treat that child.'
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  L+ Y& ]* A' n% ?" }> Then he told the following story:
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% L+ H, h# {8 {) N2 F; B( p8 |> 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
6 q% z' p) O8 S/ J/ I# o> 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
; i% c9 h1 h/ U> 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
, T* ^7 x% C8 @. d& B# f' S) R> 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
8 Z0 p+ ?$ f: ~0 J> 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
& ?, J1 U8 {! V& J/ f+ [> 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
0 W5 y' s$ a' f% e9 ?> 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
/ D5 N, c2 ]4 p  b7 t1 q> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
' d6 w3 P( e* Q* ~> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
8 @. u: |, B4 @% q9 [( ~( M> 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
' h8 f) Q; T; F2 f* ~> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
% K1 S, j, V7 u4 h8 l> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
' m9 ^( u0 ?2 E' [6 [+ A# n) l> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
! E0 A; W  c% }& |3 s& ]- a& a> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
$ a* m, [, F- n$ P& E> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
2 |& O* A% O$ ^) w8 D  g0 Y> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
: \. O" B+ V% d: I0 l( K> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
$ e5 B6 _# \$ p> 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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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
$ D+ `) B/ s3 X> 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
; |. ~5 p' x" Y" a> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ k+ _1 j# {% ]7 [4 w> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
4 g9 U# a3 G# I+ q! A7 Q> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. c4 A+ v  W( `8 d; S> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
4 y8 i# b. h2 U6 B3 @> 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,
0 _! c9 L! i" o& d4 f6 L( G> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
& J8 G5 J1 `, \8 R> 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'
>
$ C6 `: [& R( P5 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!'
>
! ^9 b( C, w+ `5 z> 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
, u* T9 }% u4 D1 D2 Z> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
& B9 a- Y  d4 O! r' W> game for his team.
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( U; \( S. F- p( T$ \, S8 L> '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
4 W4 J0 V% a5 k) Q6 U, t> into this world'.
>
( O  o1 D+ d1 ?% S9 k8 g& b> 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
5 B* D" u7 T6 T) p: U3 X  f# n> 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
/ P  m; r7 ~/ t4 Q' i. x" k> 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
7 u% ?. U0 q7 H  B# p6 K& K> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
4 p( t: D8 u6 e1 ?! `> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
* |2 ?7 P" B4 p; Y> 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
. f0 F4 v* D$ l$ n> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
: N$ }; k+ |0 A3 k0 N( }0 ?. X* m/ y0 N> 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! d6 l) C) a6 e  T> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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' z; v- L5 }1 p' X; q. q4 R) `9 m> You now have two choices:
9 ^/ V% A) m. S# t> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.