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
/ ~0 e3 Y* Z! b. f1 C( [> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
) x/ n6 Q2 P$ I6 ^- A( b> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
; |# r" h5 m8 ^, P> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
" c+ Z9 O" J& a3 T% F) |" `> staff, he offered a question:
>
  x% c1 Q' `  w# ~$ W. W> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
  {. H) I" _1 v/ v> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 R- x  ?) Q  d5 T: ?> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
$ v- {9 X) G% R: d4 h2 b, q> natural order of things in my son?'
+ z# B7 d4 w: S>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
, [) u" v  G+ c  s! E% {% ^1 }>
" Y1 o2 @) L' i) K> 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
0 C: A6 v, ?( i& m6 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
' l" N, C5 b' Z4 {- ~) Y> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
) u: d! j  Y+ f; S. Y  D+ M> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ l5 k4 [7 b+ N  K> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
/ d3 B3 n2 j9 p+ E) R: f> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 }" P: i. y# C, H7 R> 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
$ |1 d- n+ [0 ?" {> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 B, N. ]1 }0 q> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! q+ m! J0 [5 w> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
: W( F! N  i+ v> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
4 U9 `1 O# T) e9 w- @6 \; V+ b$ f5 C> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
3 ^% K2 h! c! V. j> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, L/ V3 c, j7 n- O4 O; W> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
+ i' B" Q8 f9 S* }% B8 ~5 E; F: ^> 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
& m5 W: A' {$ D> next at bat.
>
  s% @1 U" @% y! o> 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.
5 x6 c# M- q2 M9 W# |4 y8 ~  T, h5 _7 G> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
( H! n8 `- X, W2 _> 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
0 s+ d- u4 j+ M& \. j> 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.
, F% z8 [* H0 H0 k9 ]+ N> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
+ y. W( i; X' r' G5 B- t> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
( M+ I* ]1 t% B2 n, k> out and that would have been the end of the game.
  j# H1 u. m" k9 D" k$ g) k>
1 f9 h' U! b! \6 s2 G> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
( J+ b, ^2 V/ a9 \> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* ~. v. Y/ G# h! q9 ?! z> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
& P$ p6 ^3 q  K> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
# _% j8 t3 z3 x' _> wide-eyed and startled.
+ r/ x, C- P2 O& h>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
  Q9 v! }# b* Z: J; d> 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
+ i2 {1 y& J  ^* |+ f5 M% }7 n2 i. m> 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.
3 P3 M( j, v  z. M- T+ C>
  e( g0 u$ I& m2 n. Z5 V> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 [( ]! q) ]. L> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
9 T& }6 R( i! V7 H: l> Shay, run to third!'
( U4 c; i  _8 S3 [5 @6 H, R6 [0 ?>
* l' q: S+ J  g- E* ]7 @/ l> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
* T% C& ], \  o$ C$ u2 `6 v, H> 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
+ B6 O/ s+ w- f  Q1 @> game for his team.
>
; D% X9 I) q' O4 Y0 s> '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
9 I" M. x  W; r7 \> into this world'.
9 w( F" [7 S& k# i3 n>
0 Z8 {: v: d  [: d5 R, J9 j> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
# H1 b) q, \- b0 J# {0 Y% h> 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!
" ^# ?0 d9 b2 s% E0 U! B* W>
> 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
) v) W# s( _. [8 I6 z> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
1 Y5 o0 @  |" o- H> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
6 E( `* U5 q1 n5 Y( V> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
* s0 S# I; ^9 j4 u; n' \$ C0 Z% w* t" D> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
# u6 q% H8 y+ i1 v> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
9 h7 B, J8 F; N, x  ]" b  z; {> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
' \" ^, l1 j! ?& ~, i7 V' t6 \> 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 O7 z6 t6 ]> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
6 u4 Y( l# d' Y! e>
0 Y! Z) d; P! G8 v0 _> May your day, be a Shay Day.