Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  o; M7 K) P  L> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
, V% l# T) Z1 w2 i1 [> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
  b) g: ~8 x6 P> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
9 u( h9 q) }3 ^( V5 N2 n> '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
7 E+ P( I+ M5 T2 u> natural order of things in my son?'
4 C/ J/ h# b& o' X* j" \>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
; O& B2 }# t! z0 D, `9 E> 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.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; K: r5 X) q" D5 |' p  k> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
$ N, Z; H6 m  U4 u# ~( A" \/ _> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
/ V, P  @& P. {5 |% y7 v1 D! S> 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.
>
3 b  @* R' z6 A8 I  C3 p> 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
4 ^2 o7 n8 y0 B5 r) ^> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
' q  X' F& e! B, P' ]8 B> 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
> 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
% m, L" W' L$ f> 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
6 Y$ w& m; `4 m- @> 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
# q6 l% t; u1 a( }; ]% d> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
# o( r. }7 t& @+ p( [) q> 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.
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> 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
2 ^; b3 r' M5 W9 C7 s4 [> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
6 B6 s' Q! a. H" u, b* }5 d> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
5 Z3 U; O6 t5 |> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
! |( A4 ?4 s2 f/ D6 D4 _> 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.
3 T+ A- A' g3 B) Q. g> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
' S# I' c% M" J  _0 R& `9 A& u8 o> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
. J' C( [0 ^* w& C; n; T5 R> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
. k; `$ {$ f5 A( z> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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* ?! T6 \5 e4 ^8 k) h: s1 [> 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
2 w" V( ]* k6 e  _) {2 Z8 W- ^! B% n. E4 c* f> 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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$ }" g7 p6 `6 h8 U! U  t> 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
" K+ H. ?0 A( @( ]( A> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
5 N5 W& a3 _5 ^  O> 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,
3 i, O2 c- Y5 A1 D# J9 G% A6 q9 |! C> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
) \0 a6 s$ I) H2 R: V. }> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
& @& c& I& k- g> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
6 A! y6 J2 b( a. \0 K> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
# I/ c7 ]  c5 t9 `" t* U; y# S2 B> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
5 F9 v4 \& q/ p3 \( R2 e$ y% j> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
  K6 @, o7 I, G# A" D> 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
> game for his team.
>
( I, ^, ]( a5 }> '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'.
6 R: Q% A: X$ ~* y1 c* g+ Q' f: ^+ H>
  N4 l* Z% ]& ]' A& s4 |% O> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' D& }# G! s2 f" ^- O6 r9 l> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
# U/ `. X  _, D> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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/ h) Z7 @7 E* w> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
8 Q% ]6 A/ D/ l$ J> 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.
- D  j1 U& I0 S) z>
# U  X1 k& i9 C( {2 H0 }> 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
> '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
$ _5 J# l" ], J- l# k+ Z/ X; J% z> 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
) ]& B# R' ?! }# I> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
( Z! J! s% `- S1 @> bit colder in the process?
>
! X3 t9 G! l8 Y# W4 l2 B& U; V> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
5 q' k/ c1 ~6 W>
0 a4 }. J2 ?% V0 e> You now have two choices:
4 e, `: E+ z2 K+ b2 g) V; C  H> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.