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?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
1 Q6 p' \0 m& n( S) I> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
% b2 v) ?' {" b4 F" P7 U> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: D- o; j) O, S> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
9 U( l" A, X% R7 W8 ~% x> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
8 Z: C2 V  X$ r/ b' f* b> natural order of things in my son?'
3 B, k  k5 q) ^; s/ T>
: u; m7 A/ ?$ q: }' B) V> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ s6 [* w4 \5 q/ P9 h+ ?+ `7 A6 ]> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  A" ~! f! i1 `0 n7 Z) G6 y> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
  c1 N" _5 f3 i' O- |* y# q> treat that child.'
>
/ J4 y- q. w' X) M+ D( U* Y* r- x> Then he told the following story:
>
* U( x! i, }2 J8 S! Z9 p$ F' v> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
7 y6 c( J& @4 o> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
4 e, d* Y% x8 Z5 Y> 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
% }: s: p( _" j> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
# M0 a3 ^) h( T! K3 e> 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
5 |+ d. E) V$ Z( [9 v2 D2 i  I> inning.'
>
; w* X/ S0 n# a+ p> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
3 g/ {& M. Z+ k0 _> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
& s; U% O# x( Y( C> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
$ V' h: V& q9 U6 h6 x- E8 `) t> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
8 g/ e8 I* _0 e1 c( B3 Z> 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
, L+ j+ o8 r" }> 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
% ~1 V& U  E) q( T> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  Z  C; }7 Y  J" ~> 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,
. l$ p( ?; T- e* E, ]* _9 {> 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
  a3 F: `4 P- w7 z> 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.
1 Z$ f# U% }, X9 ~" z> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
  n- o. H7 ^9 ~$ s4 Z+ a$ L> 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.
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0 g6 F- O8 [1 I. m> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
" B1 g# O, i, g0 a; D> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
> 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,
1 _, x! `/ ^& B7 ?, p( U> 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
- M+ U& i; M! X. R6 D> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
4 s, U6 G# l+ D3 E: l> circled the bases toward home.
* `  X% P* f) h>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
7 [7 M* j, Q2 t>
> 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!'
>
> 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
  U8 f5 ]3 c7 M2 `% ^/ V5 p$ g" F> 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
# P2 C( t- ^5 `0 F6 N; B> into this world'.
>
$ Y& W& U: T8 z8 D3 l% g& z> 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
* z7 t- y- G+ `% k' ^" p$ N( i> 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
& m0 ~. @) i2 L> 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.
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6 ]. H% {& c! Y5 q' w; |' k9 I> 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
* A8 q6 B7 y/ n# u2 X) F7 R> '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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
3 p! T2 B; n! B  @4 m  K> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
5 Q! l- ]7 [# ~4 F> bit colder in the process?
>
  Q5 b0 b# l$ I4 x> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' Z2 f: F9 F* R7 k/ f# n* l> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
  F1 f- `6 G- @5 J; L7 g" D> 1. Delete
4 B, e4 ~# m- h: Z9 }> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.