Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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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# u; D% ]+ g8 F: t> 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
# a" C. i. V- q; I0 h> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
& [  E, {% L2 [' q+ U> staff, he offered a question:
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# N( {9 v9 W. \. m4 {> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: q' R% V* r2 n2 r: G3 a# c> 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
3 A' \+ R$ A. |! A' K> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 t# u0 d' q- n+ e+ u4 r; T" ]; ?> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
/ u9 d( x' l" R: g' X' p# y> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
. e/ B# p; [4 ?) z> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
# y% @4 y* |6 L. ^. B/ n> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ j/ L, C0 w# U3 T# ]: B, P> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
" d7 N9 t# f9 H1 U> 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
2 ]; s3 l* \' {7 G> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' K# G% e( }0 w3 M! A4 |> 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
> 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
2 I( M' }9 k- o- y> 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
9 e/ r% n% n. B! {% b$ K> 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
0 a0 O0 \6 B) F. X' w9 H% |> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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+ r/ d5 \& @# p! c( E5 r! n8 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,
) e& `8 ?+ O$ p/ |/ L7 \> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 n# j/ ^, g$ x# g& w0 [, k3 s# ]> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
: Q- e7 |( U% ]- \> 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
9 t+ D+ O' e" z2 q. y% @> 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.
>
' v$ |9 I- Q) g8 M$ C> 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
% ]* O- I6 |; G  g" U> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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2 A6 a$ y! R8 _1 {& X> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
5 Z; u3 M" d* g" x: e> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
4 j9 A) q$ M  g( s7 ^) q> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
) r: g( M" `, S3 d> 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
* R0 j" F7 |& U2 }/ ]/ ^8 {> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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5 i2 z7 B# f( n' h> 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!
( `5 R' _/ k/ k2 ^+ F; N. d8 ~9 M> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
9 Y- l  T3 \- u0 c* h  E  K( r8 x> 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
* K1 e& ?, s( F3 m& X2 [> game for his team.
>
7 A" T" x& Z7 u8 ]> '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
1 z3 \, H3 C/ f" R% j9 s. G> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
0 n# R7 G$ |0 P" `  A9 b& Z> 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!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
; @: Q' B& L* f- ]; c2 d> 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
; T) ]4 e% L8 K6 u> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
9 P2 [' a- u& o( W2 u8 p& q> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
3 D8 @, k$ c1 p* e. |( C> 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.
>
3 C: J, O' z6 i> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
/ s& B$ ?& ]% F: P3 j> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.