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?
" ~$ O- [. X3 @) h8 U; `% [>
> 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
( X8 J# c7 T+ r0 @! y; A> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
1 y# l0 z3 b; p3 X> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
. ]% }' z+ Q4 |# H: W) ~> 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
) [. {, U5 n1 j$ x# n> natural order of things in my son?'
>
4 p) L3 W; [, {4 c> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
' t" U5 ?) D  l3 ~. l. t> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
4 [9 E# t; k* U> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
, I3 G* W1 `  t. M  B0 A9 V8 w& i, w( v> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
( t+ B. N7 g* S' o. m, \> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
4 U$ @: L  r, t9 c> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
8 D6 e$ Z  ?" f1 [3 j. O> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
* \. ^) h' N  ?>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
+ J' Q2 r, U. \> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
1 F$ J  c$ f; X% H> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
  D9 s0 P1 ~1 m* L5 t> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
( F+ o, h; f  M) N2 i> inning.'
2 v% x! z! G, E>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% R! ^3 Z5 [9 U7 E6 S! R% E, o> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
+ `# x6 i5 y4 u: l4 d> 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
$ y# E0 ?9 P7 _' [5 ?> 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
  W3 L7 a* f" I% d> 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
1 M$ \5 C) |8 D> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
: W$ f$ P0 h& I8 }; v/ x# L> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
( d; f3 f/ g6 t> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
- j) U' F+ m. N! w+ u' q0 ?- d2 o> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
4 D! j( y7 m! i" B2 c5 J6 {# _> 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
  A% M2 ?; W+ `> right back to the pitcher.
>
; n4 V  }8 D! O  D7 R$ \- y> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 C* A% K6 `6 ?+ J- ?1 E9 v> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
5 C6 r7 \  s. m, b8 L3 P0 Y> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
  \6 U& I1 F- a3 e/ _% f0 [" S, ?> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* Z3 l- I& L- E' e/ m( h; r" `> 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.
>
' ?2 K& ]$ A1 C; k2 |> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
! H- O5 ^% w- `# N; B8 Y> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
" F8 p3 i, R. {$ z8 \3 h" p1 D> 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
+ y) _" H' L6 z1 |# K4 [) V" D> 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,
4 ?: e# W8 o' T> 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
6 B$ s# o; x9 i0 C( ~% o: Y> circled the bases toward home.
>
* k" O2 C5 q4 x* P0 K> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
9 d  t, o* Q8 Z>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: B$ `9 ?+ O3 K8 ]> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
+ }: |. Q3 Z6 X6 n8 Q( e>
> 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
' F4 K8 R: k3 @* o# X+ a3 H  c0 A> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
8 B& i0 u6 @* T. J> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 ^" y7 y8 X& Y$ J8 U> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
3 \" Z, f$ `' K  _+ s. s>
# X- P, h! C8 A, l# e! ?> 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
, Z+ q2 x( j" a> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
9 ?  y6 N3 T& v/ ]>
$ ]& P1 r* [3 P9 d! t5 E> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
0 h7 N1 E% ~3 l5 t- R" z2 S> 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
' z! F0 ?! G4 ]  P( e> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
/ G; w: d: c# l  @# s8 ~$ J>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ G8 t- m" @4 E> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
% G9 Z$ H! z& w2 u; b> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
) K* [4 E" h) H4 [> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
/ O2 ?+ a- d- a$ S" W/ X# X0 [/ N> 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
/ z( Y- b; W8 l3 z) O4 ?5 E> bit colder in the process?
>
5 n/ h, i" Y! S4 ~( C> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 `3 G+ {7 k  R> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
5 w/ ^( ~; |3 P8 q>
8 ?4 ?& b" v5 q( X" l6 k4 [> You now have two choices:
- A- g/ I" f! d5 _: ~+ ^> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
1 K. z0 E+ @3 H' e  ^4 ~9 k& C, z>
# |+ R6 [  h; A> May your day, be a Shay Day.