Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: O4 {) D  I0 ~) ?& T& P5 N> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
2 k+ _/ M9 `! z! y> same choice?
8 S# T: i$ P$ |: S# I3 G>
> 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
, Q$ D9 V" @! r* b  A0 N  U> staff, he offered a question:
! h" E4 K( D0 b" V, T8 B>
  `6 g" z5 F1 W$ T, s0 ^1 Y# p& ^+ G> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- M" p1 q) K+ j9 B> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 b$ M, v0 W. D( t- c> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
' N7 l0 z+ G! X! A> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
$ L2 \3 K* l& i# c1 Q2 a: [>
> 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
> treat that child.'
>
6 n1 d  |9 e$ i- S5 j> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
: Q: G1 M# E9 z: Y( q> 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,
; k+ u$ ?. ?$ e7 Z; T> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
6 T; N* y( a0 X9 P7 I> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
6 L+ |3 y( x) |+ C6 m, n* o% Y3 C>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
$ U/ g7 X# u4 F1 H6 ~, j, ^> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
; o" {' M( }+ k0 _/ A- z! s5 |> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
" ^  ?7 f2 f6 c" \0 @" U0 c+ Z! {> 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
5 t+ J' z8 a, Z  t& v% t6 d> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
* ]6 R5 G* h" q) A* K5 r# {# @. p> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
. @2 q* G8 W, \7 m3 l0 e> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
+ B/ u4 v) W, a& q2 J  q: T> 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
> 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.
( b# {; D3 W7 P1 A$ W; E8 W>
> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
' C: ]. Z3 q% w, q5 S$ ~  ~2 z8 U> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
) A7 D+ d- G& w6 d" ?+ _$ `> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
& T2 ?9 E" ^5 r( |/ }0 W> 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
9 Q- Z; g. O2 e+ B! p$ J( A> right back to the pitcher.
>
& }7 p: {7 C, N# q* G> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' O5 k! s/ T1 @( ?3 B> 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.
1 i: s+ ]$ y  f. @$ y- H$ h; `>
, E7 p0 L. @' t8 m* p" J, ^> 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
9 k% V9 z* u, f& B> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
  A, A/ a- o+ M8 d. i8 r6 S3 ^> wide-eyed and startled.
) q* i& q, O  M- `' p, O+ }>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
# Y4 F% ?. B+ W  y$ t> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
8 Q$ m/ S7 n* ?5 B> 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
1 h2 r# \$ X' t1 @6 i> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
; r. ]! W: z( n& A0 u* I> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
- v6 E* L; V& [- O, w> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
0 O3 B# `0 Z  \' \* T* V/ B>
& k/ k% p1 Q- }8 K> 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!
$ r/ x# G! w: [2 M0 u% x; N> Shay, run to third!'
>
: W. V. \( C- a* S) ~; _> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
9 P+ Z% Q5 Z0 o9 F9 I> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
2 R4 }( a# a1 |: l> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
: K6 x& Z; u* a6 C" Z+ P; Y) e> game for his team.
>
; o* }/ i  J5 t8 N0 _* `& c- V> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
5 X: L* ]' {* j- h> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
: e9 _" H+ V# @0 Z  D- ~> into this world'.
2 Y- s: S  S# l% t& t2 L>
, Q  O, R* _* k* H, m" z> 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
' g1 ?( F3 Z; |& s7 W> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
  z7 o( C% ^- q) u7 f( L  |>
> 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
( P# K- U2 D. P4 e' P3 ?) E. N> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
# o4 n$ ?& F- Q, K4 J8 B> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
, }9 ~) B, ]. |: r* c  H0 G, j) [/ \> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
* A9 n) N# W; g. O8 d> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, A) @+ L. T% s$ q8 ]8 n  P> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
7 W) d7 J6 O1 P0 m2 W& z* Y> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
% r) B$ N* B3 f8 g# x! p8 g6 O> 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
> bit colder in the process?
( r2 M$ V  C" d* v6 b8 d>
& Q1 E6 W+ o' }6 `> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, E! \; [( g8 B# E2 i- U' [> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
! E9 [" B  ]: F2 ^% _4 X) g/ @>
% U; W' X/ x, W5 H  V> You now have two choices:
' a6 L2 f1 b4 F> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.