Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  q+ Y$ T( q0 t4 ?3 t  s> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
+ Q: h1 z* d+ j  K' d2 {* A$ H> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
% W. G; Z: D' y& u( N$ n> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
! C- I6 R2 b, F- T3 P> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
8 Z% o# S+ M, Y3 g4 Z( v. c+ M( U> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
, r( Z$ f/ e5 B+ w> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
& {. K+ j! W/ r) K% e> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
2 g5 N4 g& v3 r1 t> 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
> treat that child.'
; T5 |6 j1 k3 W$ a>
( v7 M  b4 j1 ~5 ~. y) r> 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
5 M5 }% b1 W! j# y( F> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
  G" B+ p: p& \+ h" s& Q9 Z0 `> 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
5 ]% E7 R0 v2 O7 F+ ]> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
7 g5 w- {3 Q+ k/ R' f! e; g+ L> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 Y, B# t/ t; L6 N> inning.'
>
! X8 S2 _. g( T> 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
* x7 J  t8 l5 q' h> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
! }) _! ~# ~2 i4 m> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
0 g, ]% H/ B4 U5 C> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
% I2 q6 p: |9 S/ c4 l4 p. F7 k% q> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
+ O  V& e' O) s! M* x> 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
% v; q) Q5 F/ E6 ^> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
  }9 O( O9 l* U* m; S& C>
> 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.
> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
( |! S/ p0 L6 m5 M> 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.
: G- v( a0 Y9 m+ X% s> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
8 k, R  h7 J, \' H# I5 ~( x>
* k- H( H5 L! ]# z7 \( i+ y3 e# t> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
; r) `' M6 Z8 x9 c> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
+ k1 G# W' [  E: \$ C. E> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
) l+ t( {3 y' F  D8 M0 g> 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
$ J* G4 r# o3 ~! e* ]4 D4 n> 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,
, k2 r0 w' K$ x( X- C3 y# S> wide-eyed and startled.
>
$ K6 N. v$ q$ A/ \( W4 w> 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
& Y- Y3 q6 m5 K" X; i' V> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
1 V3 c! f6 C0 E1 F5 M1 {> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
# \1 r9 a1 e6 d9 G# X' T7 J> 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
; }$ S- v( ]* Q* {6 \" q# B> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
6 x; W" J# d! t0 N>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
8 ~/ T3 e* y' V' o- {8 X> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
( R  y' ~  n/ \: L! ~> Shay, run to third!'
>
8 ~8 d, d# f& \% X* H( u> 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
$ b4 C9 o0 S" h1 n; u4 G- G# i> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
4 q' o; O4 O  n+ a" Y) V& i! V$ Q>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
9 T4 [) t# h- [% o. ^" T$ c+ a> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
- |5 J# e1 u2 u9 W, W/ X7 E; ^> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
" Q& S. B- ~" a2 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!
! U: t; R/ r& S>
% B9 S% ^6 M3 y( ^; w7 \! o> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
/ Q# d3 B& f; i0 S$ T> 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
( W. I+ y. t/ A* n+ d> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
" x, V2 b: i$ t8 F) N8 e5 O- X' u>
8 ?% w: _6 c$ u) z" Q, t* T$ l> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
1 u# ]. z, y. b8 ^> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
, i5 H+ Q' `0 I/ K0 }* U+ S" I> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
* {  D/ O: `3 z* D> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
1 x/ s! X+ E, A" P4 ?> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
5 ]0 Y1 Q1 x, \2 S) X  {> 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
, \6 o3 g, ^- M! e> bit colder in the process?
* B6 ^# l, c1 ~5 D* Q/ O$ F7 S* W>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
* I' k" x2 V3 v; P& g" w2 l>
5 ?. n2 ^* L. F7 t3 p" b> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
9 R9 i% u5 [% D  h& r7 U> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.