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 V4 ^8 `/ f( G" H0 E> 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
9 U9 W* B( Y0 G- m7 Y> staff, he offered a question:
+ ?$ ]1 `( T; e>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
5 M! k/ E0 Y! U  N- g6 f, \& T; Y> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
% Q; P1 \2 H. d  I2 J> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
4 B# A2 G, d4 ^7 b/ z$ f: c; {>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
/ J5 f; t7 o3 M/ c3 ]7 l- J, j1 W>
> 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
! W  ^6 P  `* C( P9 F1 x8 a) {> treat that child.'
>
# o+ i4 \% C% w+ T2 c> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
- e8 v8 S1 I  M9 ^$ R> 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.
  w- j' j  p  y' O0 b$ P>
- z! u- o! K6 p: Y+ ~3 t> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
+ m4 F) Z# r! q> 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
5 ]+ x: W+ {- M# L8 I. m> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
8 D0 {' U+ V: V: l3 G! g>
> 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
, `: N3 Y, S; v5 }6 U. k> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
" X1 [6 [- P- @/ m$ ~> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
% a2 i) K7 g( }' Y5 e' o/ c! g) l> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
& C9 W* o! P; y% O$ ?> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
' h& Q+ P1 @* v  m* W4 x> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
" _9 G; I3 k6 C# D5 Q8 @, _3 r& u4 Z> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
# X" X$ ~2 l7 e! u; z> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
# [6 k$ L& ]" [> 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
" p% ^/ o( b: Z> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
0 B+ s7 E6 B( \* j; T( X) F> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
: D3 H! s5 R9 L# z9 M" M> much less connect with the ball.
, ^/ J0 e$ E% @> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
# Q7 D1 x" a1 t; M> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
  p8 u& T% q) b. E> 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 L6 q, }2 j) Y4 E3 q> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
0 m1 V& N0 ], n! K$ p> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
" g# W! q1 y. z* d6 R> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
* P) Z& B$ o' V- [7 u' G& |0 Y> 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.
# e! y+ n8 ]8 \& R" n>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
" [! ~7 G3 I- Y( ]> 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
7 C- u: v3 X2 m( N9 A> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
) @2 `8 f* h3 e+ W> wide-eyed and startled.
. E6 m" x: {# N0 ?. R- u3 Z>
4 t$ I) J$ v# m: |# b$ @! q> 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
8 D1 O- X5 T/ L, q6 l> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
2 s$ p8 F$ @# {$ s" E; I- I6 A> 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.
  e4 r) `2 z" \( E>
# h4 y2 u. U9 R7 u! a0 L+ H> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
7 i2 m8 ~7 L" w* J5 m' y' a> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" f$ L' `! K, G/ x# ?> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
9 B: o/ N' s6 p& l4 E5 O3 I; `4 ]5 Q>
% X! s* `- T! E> 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
) e1 D9 b1 g0 r: C- r6 F! W> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
$ q! j' S) U% ~>
" X2 J3 N) n6 D7 X! ?: r% G/ f> '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
) b. o7 P0 _( c" v3 S> into this world'.
" ]! r' E" w! s: a* Q2 p% h>
6 X; {8 }0 B& Q> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
0 d$ I# l6 }/ N5 Q/ W2 L> 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!
# u. Y4 T7 w1 F+ w>
' l: p4 X9 f2 a  K" [/ @> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
2 M" |% k8 W: `) ?- m> 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
9 R/ t- U3 v5 x, Y* k5 s' A> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
- P7 g6 _% f; _/ P7 J4 C) h>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: [4 g2 S" L: a, G6 H( V> 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
! q% o9 A3 s6 h2 P* W4 e3 O> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
) n1 a1 l9 B( S) ~: g% j> 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.
>
> You now have two choices:
3 c9 f0 w) ^3 b5 ~: T> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
: L9 P, f& Y8 [9 n> May your day, be a Shay Day.