Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: Z. Z2 E+ Y" d! D8 v> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
4 V( k' a. l$ \( n> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
4 F$ E. j9 d9 f; U0 H) r8 f1 }> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
6 P) X7 S6 r" k# f4 r) f> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ P3 C9 q! g. s& {% n1 j> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
( l9 w+ l& v( s' c  u2 k> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
5 V' d% j. b$ n' j> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
' c0 ~" C- Z/ |& p> natural order of things in my son?'
2 U( M! W' }1 A& e; i>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
2 `. U% O+ \, ~2 q>
5 A- r1 g2 X( n# P) u> 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
, w+ _8 u  D) [0 _5 }* u! \> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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! Y9 j, _; s1 k, C- ^> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
8 o' E9 [6 k7 [% ?& c+ A2 C! z* j> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
8 R* l+ V) H" y+ Q, Z> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
: b) z  Y8 z& a( |2 J" F$ {> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
8 ]+ l& Q- P0 f6 n: Q6 e> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
2 G% u6 g3 j, X> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) C# B8 ^0 }2 L# i+ M1 G- y" W> 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
* ?$ z; B  E& l+ g0 r3 d; y( F3 s' V> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
; R) K$ p" [( O" c9 y> 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
> 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
> next at bat.
>
" R$ Y+ B" w+ X& X: T% Y  z> 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
" B# b7 @$ B) P, j) D> 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
; L0 {0 e: U+ u' f1 Y2 b3 }1 x> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
( Y4 t  U$ `% O. N& J/ a7 W> 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
& C4 d" y6 ?  f) t( ~: B4 ^# Q> right back to the pitcher.
5 A6 @4 d7 e' S9 x>
7 P% g! R  l+ g/ Q: R: J> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( ~& \7 e- R# |3 j6 y6 _; @% a> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
* N, G0 h9 N2 F* [$ s  P+ D> 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
> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
5 A8 X. Q* O% K+ X" H> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
4 [+ s- r& j" \2 w> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
" Q1 M$ V. F, Y$ n' @$ \( h' ^> 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
> 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
3 d& @6 B2 h, L  ]> 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!
7 H+ Q* }7 Z5 ^> Shay, run to third!'
>
4 P  d* }2 C3 Z# g  ]> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 e9 ~/ T* C" ?# E7 ^> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
" p  g% m) w+ }* e) \& P> 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,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
) Q( i5 A! ]# h5 b, c! y>
% j% S- ~  C: `1 B+ Y> 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
0 i9 j  ^+ ^9 K+ s, b3 J' L> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
7 r# V* [& D/ M6 w6 W4 U>
> 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
( B, k% l) \9 U# z; 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.
>
- w. j5 R1 q. b) k> 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
$ Q) f" g+ v2 A- S0 z* L' x> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
% |* c( p1 j# L7 |, M/ z" E0 n> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
4 r1 C- T+ ?0 r$ R: z> 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
> bit colder in the process?
. E' h/ g- y) @3 ~>
/ G- g  e  y, D+ j> A wise man once said every society is judged by
) M1 D) I/ c& F  y' @> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
# V" a- l7 s. l' c: e- o; h> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.