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
1 t- a6 `$ [+ W> 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
7 r0 _, M) T1 ^( ?+ w: }" X> staff, he offered a question:
3 y  n8 w( @6 [>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 p2 t$ w& o4 }2 K" L; y1 G> 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
2 K, z+ ~, J4 R: w0 u> natural order of things in my son?'
4 x5 S" J1 y' `: v7 Z+ X>
- f' B) J5 t% F> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
9 K" w2 K1 g( t. K: J0 w0 k  g> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 E/ W; }  t( \> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
# W/ ^9 k* e+ f8 {, e> treat that child.'
4 z$ M  z; m# y+ e>
> Then he told the following story:
( y! I  M7 T3 U; D>
! k! w2 L1 a, P> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# V2 q3 d" ?! Y* `$ U$ Z% W> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
% h: Y/ V/ W+ C* O, W> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
0 j% Q2 J1 X" `" \/ C1 I> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 g' x7 }, w- y1 ~) `> 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
1 i8 W: M! W! Q7 F8 z> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
( L6 _) {! u/ I> 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
* K. z+ `9 P: R: k> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
6 R8 N5 i+ B* l9 @5 Z6 l> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
" g2 [' W4 k0 H. A" x> 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
# f3 N1 u* {. v& v& v, B: D( Z> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
6 R% `( I, K7 o+ E4 d> 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
6 R! o8 F, N+ q( ^1 O+ s> next at bat.
>
8 y0 Z% m+ A5 {8 X- N> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
. Q( X: R- r& }5 W" B# ]> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
0 w. M  p, m! m' {2 u: a$ F" F- n> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
; r, X! @# `" Y- O( P> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
$ M9 f9 p+ x3 N$ s. C% J& n4 w; W: `> right back to the pitcher.
>
2 e$ o) h+ A$ m0 B> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 i9 |5 q) F2 V% [( s. }> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
: c9 ~+ [: z) s& s- J> out and that would have been the end of the game.
& T" [8 Q- _& f, o>
. K/ q6 z* S, _4 I; T> 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
/ w# |. I% ^* j0 H3 c( \> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
* p1 r# ?$ u* d' I" i6 }2 S9 ?6 \> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
; F6 V- [% K5 f  g5 V5 E) f( O( @> circled the bases toward home.
7 e/ r. o/ a) M( z  z. d% ^>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
& R( B- J7 c' `> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 k, s' {8 H# \" K5 S> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
2 S0 ~$ q1 b1 C> 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'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
* ~1 t! n- t+ [' I> 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!
>
% i& ?( @! {) U5 m9 Q2 v2 l> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
6 l6 `7 m/ y4 Q> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 z/ C. |7 V, @  j> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
  r( P% H; F. |9 O* V( T> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
/ e8 W0 W3 g4 M; r' S' g> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
0 T" k& }2 p+ Y5 J1 M0 \6 z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
4 E" b0 e8 o5 ]> 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
' F# E8 n; m/ |7 q, d# U> bit colder in the process?
>
( i8 w' r/ }$ l  l> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
5 n& x' D  A& e9 q" R4 @> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
2 J3 u& C1 r& y3 V; d> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.