Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
0 q3 |# ~6 S+ z% m( }> 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
3 j, {  n6 Y. X6 [/ u) z> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
' o7 q9 p" M$ ?> staff, he offered a question:
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/ K8 Y+ z' z6 ?1 \* U3 `) ]> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
4 B/ R7 O0 {4 ~! v>
. S2 L; c) E1 E( ^2 b( y/ e  J, z7 R> The audience was stilled by the query.
0 m* R& O3 c& G2 ?7 f4 b9 Y5 x( d>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
' v  L" U+ r& o3 L> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 A! Q2 J* X/ [( o: j3 |> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
! ^$ Q* u8 P" O, E7 Y9 I/ _3 m  ]8 n> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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5 H3 C( E% g, O+ t* c3 E" _> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ s& K. w; O8 f; D8 ?> 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,
8 R9 t2 d' G) K0 ]1 m& Q" @> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
! i  a/ f; d: C; m* p$ s9 r/ U> 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
5 T) C# `) U3 T> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
  q& E" \8 V' F. h' N3 U( D+ x8 S' t+ }> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 f. b" x, Q& r; K/ R& E$ S> inning.'
6 J/ K$ ?3 D$ t; Y; q>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
; k. Y* G/ z! T( |9 }" d> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
9 q0 [+ g/ z( V* d( U> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
* @! b# B9 g0 M; }! s5 E> 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
> 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
  m+ F  U: T7 ~- F> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
3 P. M' a* @. ?1 ]# f- @# _: n9 p  d0 X> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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/ C1 \: `( [1 P3 X" E" A% d> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 o3 I0 Q# M2 @% S: A* B6 T> 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.
7 M. }/ X' J& [> 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
1 j$ b' M8 G( j4 e> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
) U  U0 j, Z; B( l> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
% Q* W+ ?% X$ v' {2 i2 ], X> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
) G4 Y2 ^3 D) J9 w> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
$ I" j8 [- _  M3 H: P  n: O" |& J> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
# P. ?; K9 q/ `# f7 g6 s, p> 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
; M, |" a5 ]( t> 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,
/ H+ f8 |/ y! k% t> wide-eyed and startled.
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& Q- w, y8 o$ J* `4 f> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 m' X; ]& i) ^  K% T8 O> 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
1 f- U1 F4 q: f% }& `* z0 ]> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
1 P( V, E( A1 e. x  O> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
/ w/ {. R% f9 |4 o2 D, ]% |/ M# l> circled the bases toward home.
6 y: N2 c) l2 u9 D>
> 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!
5 ^* J4 r5 N+ x3 L2 C( t> Shay, run to third!'
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$ ^+ Z: R  I0 U' Z  s> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 s4 u8 g8 ~7 q; J) P> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
: X6 W" J0 G; `, |3 s> 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,
! ~) N2 p5 i8 R2 \3 T& h> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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6 M2 B" v: q0 ~9 y9 h* w$ 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
8 F1 _& b- P+ m/ x* U7 ^, k> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
7 ~0 j. r4 @6 y! @> 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
7 i8 C) Q" ~$ g& {2 q3 _& K> 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.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 K9 g4 y* O3 G> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
% c7 d5 e; y: j6 Q6 y> '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
# {% S" d- d& k9 V> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
* r* ~# i% e2 u3 `/ C! [> 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?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% W+ x# k" L4 W2 k  v/ C% ^0 t> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
# c) l# \1 i: U' T+ A> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.