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
" c$ ]' B& a& w; k2 y> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
. h' q9 L$ d( t/ k7 g0 z1 ~5 [> staff, he offered a question:
>
! w# e7 ]0 X3 U' W$ x( T! w$ s> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; b  u& ]4 {' l> 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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# J! p" M# H7 a: g! t3 c# `/ V2 J0 t> The audience was stilled by the query.
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! n) U; N0 |" Q, c: t9 t> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
) \; n: {7 y* ~% T2 j# @. A+ X> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
! \& Q* J* |/ |$ t> treat that child.'
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> 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
( L9 r5 L' ^& T  n" y0 |5 G( w> 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
( H0 Y+ W/ d! e* ^> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
- `4 z. I; J6 S& G/ R3 W7 z) ~5 ?> 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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" H4 n, c( [# Q& T> 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
> 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
8 g! i: q; |/ x9 B5 l( e5 i, D  {> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
; I, [, n4 V. f7 ~5 n> 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
% W8 r( r% k1 d, I> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
/ \7 ]( k. C; z, d> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
7 m% f3 y. G( `- t+ J( k- ~> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 Z* ]: T0 u( V! o! e> 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.
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4 k) j  {9 i2 D8 b8 Q2 |  t, y% W. w> 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,
+ {0 q% [, E1 d) S& p$ [2 s' O> much less connect with the ball.
+ y/ l7 H( `7 R> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% |4 t' k8 N) W7 i0 q$ S' T> 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.
, S$ \0 J; B* g/ ^/ b$ H; ~- D> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
; `( Z+ x6 A4 G6 ]> 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.
>
6 x5 K, K3 H! M' L. c> 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
5 V- D# K2 A6 I> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
7 k; i5 f" z1 U9 Y7 |> 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
: w) W1 n1 q4 f5 l  H> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
, f0 H$ h2 `) T: h) ]> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
- R3 c  ^% A0 T$ e& e2 C4 L. t) Y> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
# \, S% x9 k/ k> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
# _5 {9 V! |) r$ ~1 v> Shay, run to third!'
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+ y# z" ^, V" H: T; M4 a9 D1 ?> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 B: [+ P- z, T/ f9 u* P1 L8 c6 d> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
. j8 }( t! n$ `. z3 [. K5 s> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
; h! H7 Q0 U$ P* v) {- x' e( M> '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'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 I% ?- ?' X2 f7 t2 {> 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!
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* @! q1 O7 i" a! U) l- s) X> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
: ~$ D/ o$ u/ 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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* R/ }+ ^1 l, E; g$ u  m7 `> 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
& s% X9 _8 R5 z: C- F! P3 {> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
& K* h) d2 Y6 X% b, W> 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
% q! m6 C$ u0 l> bit colder in the process?
>
/ s7 |5 c4 t4 Z. ^0 E0 D3 v+ e> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
" o8 z% z1 b# t3 @> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.