Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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0 U3 ~. k6 h- I$ D' m, ?2 j> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 e: |8 M: h# }, C; U% _> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ d6 @) n' {/ N* e  I  x1 M# @> 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
> 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
5 |$ s0 q; i! L9 G! l> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
; P1 j: S; x* i; i# d& s* z> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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
, ~7 a% Q, c+ y$ \! K! B7 w* V> treat that child.'
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5 U4 h- z% F! S> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# {& f6 w8 e2 Z" o0 w% b> 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
8 _, C: }* `# E1 C) m> 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
2 V( ~+ A: z: d> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- P3 J) F) R) U! p9 k9 f2 x% w- P> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
# i0 o: |! F+ b* \: p5 F> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
# \& F2 N( t% L+ S/ e& X, B" g> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
- T( F. y# \- M+ J+ `> 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
> 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
> 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
- M) K- w2 O8 z3 P2 F, k& p; i) y> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
8 b7 a0 x" ]1 y( @1 b( N- p: M> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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3 B* b. W/ [+ v- F" u) m) M1 z; I> 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
- Y  E3 ]: e2 h> 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
+ z& V7 q4 v- K1 w7 p- C% X> 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
> 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.
>
3 P. y" r9 f( A/ b' o> 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
$ ~" R2 p3 Z- f; h/ u& X> 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
8 k8 T1 x* o* {1 f! w9 B4 [5 l> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
% U$ V0 ]' k6 l' c9 b! I, G# L! p6 K( F> 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,
+ w1 k' u6 F$ [5 B> wide-eyed and startled.
1 ?2 _" r) J! ~' `  V4 o>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
! ^( S# J* }, W* }7 _' {> 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
$ h2 z6 f5 [* ?; ?, N. G+ O: |5 t, o8 A- B> 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
! r" K9 ?, h5 O- B0 z; I" t) V9 m> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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2 j# ~; _4 |* }9 n> 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!
% W" D8 E& R+ s& Z8 H1 Q> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
+ A, a! C1 f) q# J& X9 J7 k+ d> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> 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
* Y) C- x) e9 n0 G> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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$ D- `( a4 s# z> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
( Q9 M/ u5 h4 G8 J. K$ T  y> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
" Z& v, X2 H, {" z. m' [> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: k1 s  A8 u5 N  v6 j. v> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
! o6 q6 t$ G4 h3 Z" |: `$ @> '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
0 j5 P9 g7 u* `- ]$ D: N> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
. N  c6 ?% @  Q/ b# V> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
1 E; [5 v' z/ w/ o5 k8 |9 h> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
2 V" F/ c* e* w$ Y6 Y" [6 T> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
2 U, t; M+ ^" l" _; u, {> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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9 X, a$ f- ^8 |, y3 U9 V( g. X2 [  \- L> May your day, be a Shay Day.