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
  ?3 A* y+ o; f" \& u> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
- P5 ]$ c7 ~) W8 ^# @, \3 B# l% y> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
  R0 v2 M6 y& C0 ?5 K. b$ z> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
7 H4 h% x- @( \8 }* d  H> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
5 I+ Q! b3 }4 k$ H> natural order of things in my son?'
4 V9 J' k) G% L7 ^" L1 o>
3 P& u9 g5 T! U9 Q> The audience was stilled by the query.
' v1 J/ `( I# x. R* `  n. ]>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
; ?1 S/ \9 V( P& ?' e* w, ]/ u> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
1 ^% X: T' L! I% H$ B5 W% L% G> treat that child.'
>
+ j/ u1 L8 A6 D+ o> Then he told the following story:
" j2 v9 @% P' T$ L0 ~>
' }% i& m  t1 h2 @6 r0 ^( o> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ a% l9 Y% A* ^8 t8 A- l1 @> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
* w; Y# S- w, G) l+ v/ a> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
7 |# Z! `" v0 ~4 ~& g> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
, j4 k- ^) x, ]( c# _3 S> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
* E! m  D6 @4 N> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
: \  S! }. V  c, d. S- t> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
- E/ |% h  m8 A  M* ^, K( ^> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
2 y. P, @9 m/ m+ Z" e> 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
. c# o. m# T; W! z+ G- g> 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
) r# S/ A5 G: W" s> 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
8 |0 M/ B: W  F6 n> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
8 P& p8 |& x7 N% b>
> 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
& G& C9 E8 T3 z> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
& _5 W! o7 H" ], l9 B; y> much less connect with the ball.
" W% R3 z  s$ j# q# r( g> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
  G5 L$ f/ H) r/ B3 r> 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
7 T2 k& J4 {8 X, _: k/ r> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
' E; d3 C( [5 q' v> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
! `1 C, Z- \2 F) \/ j8 X% x> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
" i. u3 B% x# b; U5 ]> right back to the pitcher.
0 M7 \& D. F+ k# @0 N+ ?>
> 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
9 ]! h) ?1 k  O1 E0 L> out and that would have been the end of the game.
# k* m# I" p3 T. m( j3 b3 E3 X1 Z. M>
> 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
% M1 j; X$ {7 |( t" _> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
; |0 n4 P* E& k> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
. B9 Y1 a' z$ k5 G) G& s$ G! d> wide-eyed and startled.
1 ?& b/ G- D! {' e>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
4 z8 x( n# S! o- t4 I3 C> 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
! D* G( P  ~; l/ ~( n+ [6 {, I$ [/ Q6 M> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
* {* X  s4 X4 p2 W5 [$ M1 `> 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
; {8 j; y+ G5 S4 p) g0 N6 z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
. ]* Y7 I+ `* ~) }7 r* g>
! k& J* U' z. o: I7 |9 Q3 K9 H) Y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
>
3 v, Q3 }0 L: S: Y6 _: M6 A2 d0 C> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
& Z/ m" K2 a) _+ E" w9 [; L0 m& H> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
9 `. F$ _( `1 e$ n+ ~> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
! J& j# C: X/ z0 F4 [# L9 R# l> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
4 O( {5 V8 m' ~, {> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
# Z' n9 S4 Q' J> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> 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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: x: g) |/ B" ^9 ~1 r! g> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
! x5 S! K0 p  Y! r4 s& i) |! J> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
% `, t/ R; k- J  p> 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.
- i2 r" F) C/ p% `- H! {* b* a2 X>
) _" I0 H3 f6 p, f& p' \> 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
" D' o5 F% F% T- S! Z5 `# g> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
) k9 h4 K4 s! n$ w9 f> 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
7 F# L5 n6 O9 e$ I, a> bit colder in the process?
>
3 g. Z9 I& I1 C! D; n. T% }> A wise man once said every society is judged by
& F' d# A5 B) D! y' n> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
6 B, C  P' T) D/ a. Q2 q>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
+ P; ?3 G! j, D, C" f- Q' H> May your day, be a Shay Day.