Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
. G; {1 D; S3 t$ }2 ^' t+ w- ?> 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
: W7 N' G! e& _( W" ~> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ z( g" u, `- ^) Y2 z  ?> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
: l! z. I) ]: P3 B! Y0 ]" k5 E/ w* E> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
* X1 f$ d! Z0 u! m> staff, he offered a question:
% G; r/ h, w4 G5 w. I3 l8 `>
2 G: O- Z1 ?" \4 Y> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
; ]* t/ \. t1 S* D0 }> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
& D( R: S3 R2 d9 Y( \2 I+ D) ]6 S( J>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
  ]2 u) Q0 d( J2 m( A>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
/ b# D: f& t6 M1 m0 U! [> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 `0 P, B* F0 z> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
+ u1 l# M" D* |( j- A# x> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
! I% T% r# g6 n# U" M2 u> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
' B4 f7 V2 [' A; i> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> 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
, @6 l/ E1 }4 B0 k- _> 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
1 N& ^6 r+ \8 U' }4 r; ~' u> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
* q" _7 `) u( Y( p3 X6 a) [- h7 c5 o> 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
- k% E- E; e& H5 c> 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
* E6 n  x! y2 s> 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
" \  v, F* S% w> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" G& h: |, s3 y4 _0 {/ ]- A> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
! ?. o4 \5 q9 V& N: q  D( d> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
1 B# h  @% r7 x> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
% H/ x& U3 D/ c5 V2 x9 A> 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
# q" F" Z4 D$ I/ F1 g1 |5 _3 G> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
1 S1 \! I6 ^! L% n. O> 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
" k. h- y  g8 m( T> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
% g# j% k( _; T4 v, a1 u0 j; T. ?> 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
* f$ z5 x) K" R% ?: W> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
1 N6 A  S1 z& y) B> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
4 ?( W$ E9 }  E. h4 L* z> 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
% s9 U6 u/ y( M> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
- \- i# P# x5 ^' K1 s3 b; h> circled the bases toward home.
>
, ]2 |) ~% Z! }+ p) o+ l> 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!
$ f5 I. `8 Q- E% z' |* N/ o, l1 k> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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,
/ D! O- ~3 {% T" c* r& c1 T: N) {> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
8 s% S3 k; a& ~' \" k5 I. Y  ]' Z> into this world'.
# b2 y& c2 k5 I+ G! l, w>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 _4 F6 c' s7 @) R: z! z> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
; o1 o8 r9 I4 d> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 l: }1 O/ C! Z' f7 t# `> 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
+ I* y4 t$ j% N1 ?> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
6 ]$ d- }' f! w0 I. z>
> 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
1 z. o% N* y1 Y" [( w. S> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
4 B/ f& o  M& X/ s# N> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
! `5 [& f: _4 ]. ?> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
, s/ s$ @0 i5 A0 `" ~4 R5 J> 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?
4 `" u5 t  K  o' e>
$ M; b% U' q" r7 A: h3 f6 ?> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
& C) Q! A5 I) O! f6 J0 l>
> You now have two choices:
2 w, l; @6 m% s/ @3 j+ c> 1. Delete
' T9 d/ C" j, B6 I' M> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.