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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3 ]" g$ x& U: A1 L) T' j8 \( s( q# W> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
: A8 g  R% Q9 p, S- V> 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
# o, e- [% b5 c' h/ l! m> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
# N5 P" {. Y% p# M- s> natural order of things in my son?'
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! U% j- {; f' E2 n4 c> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
" X- L$ a/ X0 U. M, y4 r/ Q> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ O. |3 j$ G# Y" W$ V4 l0 I> treat that child.'
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1 ]+ v( p+ ^  r3 N; I> Then he told the following story:
>
+ ?+ C; f7 O" I7 f: [' d6 r> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
1 S9 P& l; m  P. B3 }> 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
) @9 Y) h* {- h2 w6 R/ O' f/ [% A> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 L& n8 b0 b  h; R4 @> 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
4 W' J, X( x9 d( P+ u> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. Q3 x; T0 N2 q& h> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
/ e% [7 T: O+ [5 `> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
" B4 P( Y- m: W. o# a> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
. f2 b. m5 V! l( `/ 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
  u4 B+ ^/ W+ r9 j2 x" e> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
  Y/ A9 V: K- m> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
, c% K  X1 c9 W4 e/ g+ d6 l0 P* _> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. I# q" b( b$ d1 w5 c& B# U5 y- h% k$ P> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
( @7 s( V6 f4 t( E9 E> 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
6 b, \0 L) R! l. Z1 \$ K: X6 J; n9 e- U> 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
  |$ E5 m8 [* e- W> 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
- F2 e" X; m" `2 K) [1 Y> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
6 [+ D2 z. T5 C* c6 p/ [> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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8 x7 S! D$ J! C0 O> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 z7 Q1 E- ^4 }9 G: P, w> 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,
2 h+ i8 ^# A. }3 |! \> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- U$ E6 w) P1 Q5 L) F3 A> 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
. S6 \& i, M" E3 P0 {# ~> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ C3 d6 m, O  `5 r2 D  E& H. _> 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'
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9 z0 ]2 U9 ^& L3 @# T) h, j  e; F& B> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
* Z0 ]7 h, H3 T8 g> 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
" O. l% D8 l5 g$ b$ W* t' r> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> '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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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
! [5 _( V' E7 u% A> 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!
>
/ o1 {( z( v# @' l' R* X> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
2 Y: K7 q: N& |> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 z! Z7 Q! X1 |5 B> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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* x& t4 n7 @5 W# p( z; v$ c> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 I9 g# E0 [7 D- x# k; _) Y6 J> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
4 T: Y3 i! i) j2 C6 }" a> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
3 n. Q& ?1 _: h8 \> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
4 l2 u% x. J; D# j> 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
> 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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> You now have two choices:
& j  Y3 g2 ?) s+ Z* W( i; @/ z5 D1 ~> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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: O3 P3 ^5 E5 r9 d- }9 g> May your day, be a Shay Day.