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
- k) c& X& c$ u& k  T) ~" U> 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
9 m3 j  S" g+ o; P> staff, he offered a question:
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: ?0 s+ F, G6 L! N4 x> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 ^" w0 F0 v8 }/ b7 c( e: W> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 m0 u2 k: P; X9 A( [9 i> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
1 g. E  v( C3 ~% i" r! P$ C+ T> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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
> treat that child.'
>
4 x" h5 u& h* F& L1 W> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
9 i- O* N% j2 U; y7 S4 ^0 v> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
6 f0 C$ u* }3 f5 x  j> 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,
8 P( O8 b% R8 M9 o- m> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
4 B" I& c5 U* w5 G+ z0 g$ [> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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& J5 V) n9 m1 I& U. u1 S> 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
* V3 t) M5 x/ |( u4 Y: ?( q> 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.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> 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
> 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
  [, G2 o$ i' b2 z1 z> 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
! N4 L0 U/ ^( g1 B, g) I7 ?% p3 f> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
8 ^9 ?5 P0 |! w# f; e> 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
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
. R: q0 |+ H' d( Q> 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
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ V% Y" [- K: \1 d) u> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
( A1 m0 a* e7 [. f+ s> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
7 {- h6 h8 I- `) x$ |* ?' r> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
+ F2 S4 e# J* \$ L/ v1 U8 L2 L# R> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
9 [% V$ ~4 K0 @+ U+ p: s5 X" t& t> 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.
>
& b. S% C# q3 X% U* i> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 \5 Z4 }& v4 m, W! J4 m+ ]> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
" S8 a5 Z" U! v7 I( e- t# {> 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.
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8 k! ~% d) E' o: I> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
: V0 A6 p# M( [& z0 G( K> 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
0 v3 a& U2 |  c# r! O0 j% s> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
- V$ l4 h' e1 e0 R; {- c> 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
& U' Q8 ^# p# V$ _9 }+ Q> 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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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
+ L0 X$ n7 o8 J$ H> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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# \, O0 u6 x0 ]8 o% I> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# N7 m) E) Z0 y! x. ?> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
/ ?! v8 c% U- j2 b> 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,
5 i2 Q$ u* c+ g2 _1 V> '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
! K2 A5 g" @# n2 c> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
/ ]+ f. M+ ?, ]1 s: M3 M# p2 F8 A. P> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
/ S: f. F; L& M, }9 f' s1 n+ @> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
, M4 X( i' V0 R# Q> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
7 o: u( k$ x2 a$ |> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
4 L3 i: n% u# T' n6 g> 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
, \* O( A6 M1 X2 H' g# \> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
! _$ l& B3 V1 O( a, n! B; D9 h> 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
5 E8 S) Q* r5 t. k& v> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* s. K1 ?  b$ A; V( H0 c: l> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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& K. l$ k6 r5 u& @4 X, \+ J> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
1 g% [1 K- G: _# s. P> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.