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
> same choice?
>
' q) f  w+ Z; m' r% J> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
- ]4 P3 x  j) m1 m> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
. u9 g. J& ?, @" T> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
: h# E9 ]) I; t& I/ M> staff, he offered a question:
! P5 ^9 r, G- b5 }>
! o+ h! }% N5 k5 w! ]> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
( o" [6 z% G- O( G> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
0 \6 H1 z) `+ K* J9 G> natural order of things in my son?'
>
+ e5 [! m& h$ b> The audience was stilled by the query.
3 e% A2 s6 X1 ^  |8 g, f' U>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
" N) g: V# V* ?# t$ K# ]9 g> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
$ S) h+ }& @4 \# T" g6 ]: c> Then he told the following story:
>
& b( f. S1 ]5 J1 |+ u/ e> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
+ X4 D5 t! d1 E+ b; e2 a> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% V1 L9 O- S8 L* y) W> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
/ F7 e# L) h: `: z5 ?' D> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 ]* m& O  y4 [+ [" A- |> 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
> 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
8 Q/ m  n% g4 l/ _> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
" A7 W" r! x  L: z" I3 R  L> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
" J: A' s& Z1 ]0 X% t# Q2 |> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
# B- a- b6 \- c> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
- Z; f( b0 @7 j5 G! D9 Y+ ?+ T> 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
% }4 S1 w4 u; P2 _  o* ?> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
6 @7 p6 f) Y( f6 A> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
6 b- q6 a- }# r  a>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
1 ]' q  ]: {1 V1 q1 _( j> 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,
; }" Q0 Y% x* v+ d7 c> much less connect with the ball.
' |. r; S2 a1 X7 V: C> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 ~7 l& U, I/ p* h, [$ e  f& K> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
1 [- j; N! F3 L1 b$ \) o/ O$ g> 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
: A2 ~' G* C$ I$ X" N1 k> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
* K% b1 Q7 K- _+ L9 t> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
0 g7 V, J" r' h> 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
> 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
) ?7 X4 `8 f1 A# d> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
3 O) {' b" K4 ]9 z4 G>
3 L0 y$ T) n# N: r> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
/ L+ \) F' F6 t" F$ T, Y" k. ]> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; g. a! o1 M* j/ ~$ O> 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,
) b/ i" b" M% I- Y> 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
/ E; c/ H0 d8 @' X4 p+ Q/ T/ {> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
1 e9 T( r3 N! t3 G> 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!
% c" h) L2 F8 }% U( i0 P> Shay, run to third!'
) L9 F1 T3 f$ w>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 e  c4 ^7 S- v9 b8 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
4 @! f- Z1 p6 G6 c9 X( [> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
+ b1 I0 G# Z+ Z8 d> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
# s/ u1 p/ H  U6 C) O( N0 L% n> into this world'.
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: J5 [/ B: r+ k+ c6 i& V/ S& h> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ J! ?9 \0 h+ b3 ?  a> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
0 N) z; |* n) _5 i; H3 Z' q> 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
. j( R5 z4 t+ Z+ R2 W> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
  y3 W: K; L- J9 g' W0 W> 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
' n: s0 x- G4 E9 L" D> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
. d/ l" l: h& N# q' ]0 ~5 q$ W> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
$ z: z, h2 X9 }3 i  Z>
> You now have two choices:
5 P. v0 J, u; W> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.