Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
# P) X* i) q1 W, E' h5 b> 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?
>
> 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
' ^$ V: Q. _' t6 b! f> 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
9 _  u2 |. Y5 X8 b, 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
/ d+ {- {& x2 p3 ?# C> natural order of things in my son?'
>
) m" H% H7 E9 J; U2 C* {6 I8 w, N> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
0 u- f4 m: K& z5 R1 p& }" s) N> 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
* Y! k: ?6 E% ?8 x" H+ m5 ~% O> treat that child.'
>
' o* Z( L' i# h+ ]2 s8 K* f> Then he told the following story:
>
: z& Y& y& L6 x6 }9 |/ D> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
- V+ Z7 ~9 D, r3 s; A4 Q> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
- f& l: V! I5 g+ T8 ?> 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,
" j, p; A8 r* V; M" ]> 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
5 _$ y& ^, t7 O1 i# E" t& s$ [> 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.'
>
) E6 o( B6 d  j- _- S> 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
4 T, S( c7 b) y> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
, R) D1 S1 N  j. R; G> 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
* N: l+ D: W2 `  f& Y> 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
! b7 d: T, E# a+ W" I/ x: @! _> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
2 i! L# y! v9 z  H* \6 ^8 o> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  X, A7 q2 u* q# x> 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,
, \0 E4 R, z: z. d# m> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
  i* |0 @1 m; m- D: L> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
+ B6 O0 }. y% G8 `, L3 ~> 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
5 N7 G$ u2 X- W" Q> 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.
8 v, E% H. O0 C% I- n>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 w0 i3 U. i% l5 q> 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.
>
> 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
, ]5 n: c& [+ b0 }% @> 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,
, F) [" o- T& n+ w" ~> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 Y# {/ `* d& T2 ]> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
- d5 _' P) b0 y> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
2 `& A1 N8 J6 c; A/ _  w> 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,
7 J. b( D3 L: e. I$ s# d1 Q> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
/ y' l& D5 H; d* r4 C: u- N> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 k' Q0 }/ Q! [& j> circled the bases toward home.
4 S/ @) ]) k, _" t: W2 L>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
: k  g5 X4 q* Z8 Y/ U6 m> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  @2 I8 B, n0 {9 x6 F> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
) u( L4 a) R* `2 h* X; L> 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
( N- B& m; s! n6 Z) }> game for his team.
8 S4 ~: v2 Q+ T" ]8 j>
. f6 g; y* W' z7 o5 J: N+ H> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 s& [4 W5 N1 ?> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
/ U( z& d1 \- O' l> into this world'.
5 d5 y2 `% i) [5 Q+ B>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
8 o+ i) y! Q/ a6 g> 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
> 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
; S1 {) q/ ^; n3 y2 E6 f; Z/ @. y> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
. _* N1 D; {' N' ]" }7 K>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ x3 R. V8 u0 R& D: x& o> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
. `+ }& L9 d6 v0 C5 U> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
+ T7 n, c6 X- j# d> 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
> 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
. d( x9 `0 |& X5 G0 ~* |> bit colder in the process?
>
' v  C9 |. g- X1 ~" V6 Q$ S> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, ~8 W- _2 W5 p1 y: ^5 M> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
$ w- j$ G) F5 @& o% z: [# K! y> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
! E' E$ ]5 `6 Y7 [( [* O9 r> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.