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
! H# `( k. z" ^> same choice?
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" G  k0 Z# j9 ~> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
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& P. x9 e1 I) l& `; i0 z8 H) [> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
  m* j9 b+ F( f! a4 p8 Y, x) B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
1 K# [! o0 J5 J" W> 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.'
>
: ?( K. Z1 N0 w) ^( b7 d1 k> Then he told the following story:
>
% ^) V* V7 ]& @; s4 \  q# f* g> 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
, n8 g7 F& T# T: ?> 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.
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/ C8 I8 X' X) n: [> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( M! G8 H* T) Z8 O) c4 }" 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
# }6 w2 l% O4 ~( \: Y4 @> 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
9 }6 K7 I; l5 G' n> 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
1 z$ F( z6 [' I; t> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
1 M! X- r8 C% Z0 m% O8 l3 N> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
& Q" v4 F. R3 {; S" u> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
7 t) W' S4 L* U8 G. v> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
# Z& n* J+ m$ `0 v0 H  V! w# M" j. d, J> 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
> 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
' y) L% N: l- S, b> 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
( T) G! {) K  ~' V- N  i> right back to the pitcher.
>
- F4 f6 l- R) H3 G3 ?+ D7 p7 W> 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
0 M* }& S6 r+ k' p> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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4 B  I4 ?9 x. X6 ?" z> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* g7 I+ x3 \$ N, y> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
, x! q: l7 n6 g1 e' ~  I- J, H> 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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> 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
* d9 B1 @2 G8 O) U/ E  y> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
9 f: n: g; u% W$ G) L( e2 ]8 _> 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,
1 M2 ^3 M7 j7 Q' `, k( |% `) M> 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
* ?! \$ E' t% T8 F, q: c6 r8 ]  V; |> 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!
0 r# x. K. j( T1 [/ y( \: W) b7 B> 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
) a- g1 V+ X/ C- h6 S8 X8 ?> 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,
> '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
! [# W9 e. N& {& V/ ~1 `> 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!
>
* w; P6 \9 F; w5 ^- n& u> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* F* N( g, B; ]. e- A4 i4 N- ?> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
* I( G! u7 K4 v% e# S2 X  P> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 m3 N- g( f4 ~5 O: U> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' f/ i1 v/ O# b4 T> 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
3 s. v) W0 ?. V> 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
> 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.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
9 t! l. Y0 r& [' r7 z  L9 H8 K4 j> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.