Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 n* a4 ]$ l+ k7 y4 q" R$ O3 Q: ?6 @1 C5 W) K> 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,
> 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
  r$ t. L# {3 O- y8 B> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' }6 A$ I; a/ ~1 X> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 Y1 ^( V) p8 @" X! p8 y> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
3 }( a' e9 F3 m) I( a>
9 D2 e! @; d5 x# z. r0 V> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
) a1 Q, Y$ z. O- ~> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
/ Q# x' E' F" x9 p5 |! x4 _> treat that child.'
. }2 O3 Z! w$ h* P8 ]>
& n4 r2 t. M" ^4 f- ~2 U9 d> 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
% J# e" {' X9 y/ S; R4 V5 L> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
* _% X2 h4 [: |2 d- z+ I' n> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
. _; ~& L3 h+ J2 L2 }> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
+ P, x+ t# A+ ?. M7 S+ z>
+ g* {6 f  P  }: f/ c* O$ H( f> 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
7 D  c. o5 S7 J0 ?- I& l- k8 _> 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
% b: E( Q% m  V> inning.'
) C, I0 T6 M/ U" U>
  l/ X1 K9 R8 @4 T% u2 z; c7 a> 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
7 k, ]' j' D% W: Y5 R7 D/ ]> 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
" i  U4 [4 w" h& o# Z> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
5 M% D0 V0 n% v> 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
& `& s+ @" f5 z* W8 I> 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
> next at bat.
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- [9 T6 e- }7 ]0 w3 c3 O5 C! V> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
/ {& i! C5 g( f: ]- f> 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
. w6 l- t. @2 |, C8 a> 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
8 d2 [' W3 h6 w; i1 ]> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
* h2 X, i" g3 m* n" l% C5 [> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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6 m3 |. @/ a  @> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
* J5 _4 S4 u# t> 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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> 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
9 C9 _( z+ q8 o9 p) x! _! i6 L, ?> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
) I1 \$ Z$ w5 c8 v# y> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
& \( O2 ?1 v0 d4 l> wide-eyed and startled.
>
0 `+ |- P2 s. |7 w' U> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
' g, H0 d- o/ X) y' [> 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
: `- l1 l# h0 U> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
4 P. X5 U7 t- s5 x& B& ^> 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
! A# i0 v# T, G! r+ v> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
/ E# b; q/ h% A! z, ?- a' A& ?; c> 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!'
# B9 u: L7 k- b$ U% \& z- K( [" |>
> 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
" Y: h9 @8 {( s0 p> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
% G9 ^% L1 ?5 R4 c/ n4 Y> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
/ g6 R+ A8 ?$ o8 C> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
. V" M* C0 N" V$ x> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
; t( ~2 m  n" E& U> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
1 Y6 M) n8 `0 }; z* X8 e0 H: \> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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. K4 U! E1 V+ I) y- o> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
9 h8 s# Q1 p$ [) S; n> 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.
>
8 l# F, P* f2 T  T7 V5 F+ o6 n> 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
0 ^9 s! @' T9 V9 c; g8 l> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
5 B, w% w1 _7 ~5 {> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
; y+ |. [; u  Q  u0 H>
: t0 u. @8 G4 G- J, f  B> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
* ^4 _( B, z0 o% K> 2. Forward
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: y) ?1 [1 X9 s9 j  `2 j4 {> May your day, be a Shay Day.