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
2 X" }- ?3 A" r2 }2 p, K/ x3 Y> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
% ?) T( T8 }0 P4 m& @% n> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
* V9 D% y2 R4 L7 B  T> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
* g8 c. q- x- c4 a& g2 q" P% R>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
! b: g6 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
7 m9 _9 G" J" m' [> The audience was stilled by the query.
/ ~% T& {. ?  I" q1 _# m8 B>
$ d" h& G* N4 @! m  \% K7 |$ n7 p5 x( h> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
$ V! O7 t/ B3 Y- c/ E1 G, v> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 Q( @- S$ _8 R2 {! ]> treat that child.'
( t: ~2 E/ e8 v1 I' ]+ d# U2 w4 d>
> Then he told the following story:
& g+ B3 J" A  d>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
% g1 f  W6 d, ?: t( ?> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
8 v" m; P5 t1 [) Z# v> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
9 k  j4 y+ d/ t# n% i" H  k, }>
> 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
> 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.'
* W& b3 m( }+ H. j8 J3 P4 L+ f; l>
> 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
9 h2 |" U2 w( {5 D) r+ L! n" b> 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
. M( ~5 R5 b/ _. I( Y> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
( Y* }' p" n" H4 W9 B> 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
: c" Y( \. V* Q8 Z0 u> next at bat.
>
8 B$ s6 f. y2 ?> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
' F  `/ u+ H) x> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
! T: J5 Q+ y) L) F+ F+ C. z> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
( v, O1 N* v; ^* K& r+ Q8 q/ y, n> much less connect with the ball.
# ]- Z; D6 }) z4 f& G> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ I3 [, z# z! N2 \> 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
: a9 ?( ~+ R" [. Q8 v/ Z' S> 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.
+ y. Q  S- O3 ]0 z9 r  y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
4 P3 M0 a+ H, Y9 T$ ]>
* V) \2 r% W' l: H/ _% a8 @# E> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( S2 t3 X7 w# L> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
- x- V+ h: U6 B> out and that would have been the end of the game.
9 A$ [+ Z( n6 a8 g, p3 b0 G8 |>
) T: C+ Q5 t% |% w> 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
/ P0 _1 [  ^: m; O  k1 u0 U> 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.
1 r* j6 Y- }# k! w>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
: D# a! E3 T+ f- [% H> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 Q9 u2 t, c( |3 {, n1 A> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
2 L+ s- f$ ^  F0 n5 D> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
- C! |7 F4 q6 h# I$ Q5 R, P0 N% l' U> 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,
0 o/ G- a2 u/ v% v' z( k> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
# |! Z# M6 @1 Y8 v" Y3 k  r>
( o& S5 n' ]$ C4 b' N> 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!
! R: U$ Q* k1 S: Q' m7 _  K> Shay, run to third!'
>
/ X+ N! W, Z# C> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
, d. S- z; Z: }. ?) Z6 ~. @> game for his team.
>
& o% N  f' v) h: n7 U> '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'.
>
$ [1 y; w& ^% B2 T. Q> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
0 R) Y2 S( q' q/ f! [, \> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
2 y4 {; k* p" C# i3 @; R> 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.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
. `) y' ~/ l! {, N> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
& N$ D5 z) f: u' k& E> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
% [4 J: N) i  b& M! m9 w> 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
% |6 Q' I9 p6 X: {> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
; ], o: \3 X& T" L>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
% [1 x8 @  [6 ^7 v> 2. Forward
5 U& t% B+ ~* T4 k0 i5 \4 w4 A>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.