Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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8 S9 ^5 a) V* h- T& i> 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?
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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
0 T5 h$ l* j/ ]/ T+ e) a8 a> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
# K) f/ q5 o. d! {> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
7 K5 q- o4 U& z( y/ R# [. D> The audience was stilled by the query.
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. h+ {8 P, W+ o. c3 Q> 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
, d/ {/ P) |7 Z# [> treat that child.'
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7 ^3 U$ f% d0 \> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 h& _$ X( B# _6 Y4 \> 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
! g) x" [, v) y' Q- R6 s/ t3 q> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
! ?( l; O  q" c# ], X# o; m> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
: ?, p! T3 b3 r' y> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
+ N2 _' L" V# V$ ^$ F1 o> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
* V$ k  b: R3 F9 I> 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
& I& V% z/ i, ^7 `$ [> 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
) W/ z4 m& L, p* _# {! {! ]> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
+ u- u6 o8 K  Q/ u4 |> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
2 X# a/ K- k' n+ K( ?2 p0 h9 j> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
2 \: \8 |  q; R! ^0 r8 h# k  s> 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
& Q. P& W- z! s7 o2 w6 k& r> next at bat.
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> 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,
" G" \" C8 T3 Q% |0 Y; l/ d" P: K' ?> much less connect with the ball.
2 A2 m8 Q; ~/ q  V> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
6 W- \. s7 {2 a  k, q: K> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ y9 t/ e1 y4 o  D6 ~" i> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
1 N7 |* s. v$ a4 c$ Z* R+ U! `% U> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
* i5 I' z# Z( |: d# b> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 ^/ Z$ g5 j, G3 O) ~& d> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
7 I$ Z6 J# n+ Q' b; O8 ~) d6 z, f+ V> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
0 @3 i- G0 t( s* d) p: g7 q; C> 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
8 K! \1 R1 U- [6 R4 s> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
+ P/ l* D4 x& U( [> wide-eyed and startled.
>
* w6 ]' }1 e  x  F+ L2 n9 [> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
" O$ i6 Y  w2 M$ Y2 Z/ J/ Z> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
8 m% g4 B; |1 s7 O6 N" m1 a3 [> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> 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,
+ S/ h. c! C% L- D% H> 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.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> 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!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
- e7 p3 G& y  r+ ]) t* s: [> 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
& ?+ u! g# H! I- U9 X> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 T5 J5 e5 b2 l# o1 d3 w0 n> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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0 C2 P( d! T7 S8 ~7 O> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
- B% w' U4 k! z> 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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> 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
/ }7 \& {8 h4 w( D2 o! K> 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.
>
1 {  y" z5 ~% G; C* _+ Y> 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
$ G; K. O, e9 o+ \" Q> '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
0 q4 e. l- z! d$ ~3 @> 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
, q% h  B, h0 f' z1 w> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
1 g" F5 @2 P" p1 R> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
: H3 u7 }9 S6 p2 \1 [2 H> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.