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
: f, O! \% t3 T2 I> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
  c. J) @' `5 K4 Y3 l) E) W> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
: S3 f* Y% w8 [: n; L3 M% Q> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
1 T9 S4 `9 a3 }; a( X/ j: a2 S> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
/ u  W/ l- U, C0 a& G1 a> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' [/ Z* S( D- N> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
" T; n+ e2 U" D> natural order of things in my son?'
>
" x. l. f, Y) f" ]: D2 \  f- S> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
7 D$ m( A, B7 t" D- e$ ^! y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
) m2 q* l1 M0 B  e" D" T> 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:
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3 D" t2 N6 Y) \6 U: L> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) c2 h* ?6 g5 |1 [0 e+ ~> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
* q4 ^1 s) E% c& ~. \4 N0 \> 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
. P. a; A2 u- g1 l3 |, A' _$ q> 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
/ w) N8 P$ H- Q+ D9 \3 w" N> 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
* R- O  ?/ o8 g+ p; S& v- N> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
  {/ v- V% t/ V! L% d> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 C/ p; M! {8 I0 |7 i. f0 D+ s> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
4 A) H8 Y) L2 b3 J; b; C> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
* J; }& Z9 N# w' y5 j, R> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
7 s, O; t; X' M- l5 Y! p> 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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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
5 C  b: \7 Y& c' ~0 B> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
  U+ W6 R5 y4 G5 k( S0 H( N$ E> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
6 F/ |5 A) F7 u) v> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ a  n: O$ X9 a% P+ h> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
5 ~! R8 C+ L9 k$ W> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
- H* R( }  c6 z* c8 W$ `> 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
9 c) t6 P5 m1 h" o> 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
5 @  f  [5 `' n, [$ l2 X, x> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
7 }! |# v7 v; X. I> 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.
>
> 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
> 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 A6 }7 M0 P% d> 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
. @- F+ [0 l2 }7 k> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!
7 \4 x  R( F7 e> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
+ _9 b/ Z9 `. v+ K  Z+ }' x> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> 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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, O. P* s% v9 `9 _> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
# j. C* ^/ w! d5 M$ R8 ?> '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
% @2 {+ L2 x) q. N) 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!
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> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
* N6 o. w& {4 H" V8 T> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
# C1 w6 ~+ [# d; z% {2 V/ l> '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
7 @6 w2 \8 r, ]4 v& R0 b; }  T> 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
/ |' G: j$ c! ]% C: }> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
9 s) R# D1 i0 G' \> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
, F. p+ u5 K1 x> You now have two choices:
9 d6 @5 `6 `) u0 R* }! ~9 `! ^3 ]> 1. Delete
7 K  G  _2 `- Q2 A4 u2 y; D3 y> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.