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
> same choice?
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0 I; n' D, x& T9 p7 `) `( c! n> 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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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. J/ |' k& n6 @+ ?5 M> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% T  K$ \1 K2 J2 P> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
' M# b" }6 ?) |9 ~3 }5 `> treat that child.'
>
  S  d$ _) f! y> Then he told the following story:
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7 r7 h5 m" r: m/ }8 i> 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
! y$ ?, b5 f; E8 ]- j' Q> 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,
( {$ s$ d7 s0 H# W6 C; q. e> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
) |  m: D% w2 g! A> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
5 v" E, ?' s5 @& \" q4 A> 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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% L$ e4 e$ V. G$ L8 [> 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
; S: F: U( ?* a; c, g( ^/ d> 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
  q+ [0 @7 T( {5 {> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
& w/ t; R5 Z& L$ l0 ^  _' h> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
. `4 D5 g; Y$ @# s3 `> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
: ~! K$ C3 P! o8 k& {> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
6 m6 m8 W# {' G> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
9 q) l1 A! V  S: \5 T: W> much less connect with the ball.
7 H7 u$ y7 L' K> 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
0 y% M  W$ Q6 l# T> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 ?7 B6 O% y3 L8 N% T> 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
1 [- Z  u3 Y( r& v+ G> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
9 Q+ [: I) x* P$ \6 D1 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,
# j/ Z: v9 Z: e) r% P3 V> wide-eyed and startled.
>
6 h4 G& o, D2 d2 G4 G9 Q> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
: s' d+ s" O5 L0 ^7 k3 W! |: a> 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
( z% ?' h* B( u2 H, Z> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
3 d$ p: q) o3 E  r. ?4 I% h> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
. G) i+ y# Z& I7 B9 J8 V> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
7 |7 t) h- k  Y" R( \" g> 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
7 m  w2 @/ m5 S) |( U  V8 X> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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, z" F/ ~0 `$ Y! i> 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!
4 Q% x3 o3 W" Z> Shay, run to third!'
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: S4 E, I" P0 e, V' g1 o> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 h! a0 V& ]: q' N> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
$ T% ~2 c  Y7 q) H9 I> 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'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
8 s. V' k- j# @2 Q* e> 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!
>
, n5 m7 n% h# U. B8 }( h. m. }" m> 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
' K' B! n6 ?9 I  [% Y> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
; C7 f+ F! @) L7 r# }4 b> 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
* F- R# t9 J6 T" Z> '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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
+ D7 Z0 D4 K# I  {# N> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
5 i$ J1 }9 V" O> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
5 G: A0 |! Y  l6 b& _3 \> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
+ a1 |7 p/ G2 \# \4 E0 e6 b> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
) ?7 r6 o6 E/ A9 {& y* g>
> You now have two choices:
. E. G) Z3 }5 w! w8 [( J! Q; c> 1. Delete
! x7 e+ X% m# @" g5 {> 2. Forward
>
/ z& f3 Z+ D0 l5 s> May your day, be a Shay Day.