Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
# K9 d: Y9 Q) P0 a5 n> 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?
2 @, Z) u+ G, p>
> 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
5 ^. e; {) Y9 z: Z1 K$ v> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
8 x  l7 ~; A6 |5 I# d: @+ }) N> '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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* d& B! \4 z7 f" x> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
" s: ~) r' j! w> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
! Y' m7 |: C" J4 C* \% P> treat that child.'
>
  I, ^0 P/ ]0 @! ~0 B> Then he told the following story:
>
2 C' C: i; W8 k- V; P( L& \> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
- m0 ^& |7 X6 _$ a* y> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
- \1 E3 d$ P3 X, A8 g* D> 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.
4 s; i' {% j" q; g- H1 U" c>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ m' n4 E) R2 M* T/ X> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
. `, `% g% k# N4 F> 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.'
3 t- L( ~6 n2 v2 f3 z& I>
> 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
$ z, ]3 U; f; Q( V; n3 X# m( c> 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
% @  j0 J* Q5 k, [/ i3 g% m> 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
) A& j; \$ A/ C( P> 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.
>
> 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,
1 W) n) W8 W% i* H) o> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
0 w- I8 Q9 |9 I# P> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
9 r) x( F* d, R  K9 v4 V> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
  [8 K+ S7 j3 q% B> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
. Z  n; q& g# F1 U> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
8 n, G% r8 a& ^& a5 C3 I> right back to the pitcher.
; U0 |7 _/ }9 U; y$ U>
" ~6 @0 w& m* s6 G; N> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 p+ b# Z( H" y+ F> 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,
4 Y- O/ V) E- z# r6 n& r> wide-eyed and startled.
>
  J; d1 C- |2 [9 ], d; I> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
: b3 M; E0 ?: [> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 n- U8 W7 V  _6 b6 h9 `> 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
  k. c0 t8 t# x2 B( c> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
/ c- t$ ^! n% L, ^( L4 }0 @> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
9 a1 V) W! Y# g3 ^5 }> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
) {3 R) }: K" p8 X6 U9 o" L> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
2 o. i* V  B' S, n. B>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
* S, w; f+ |" d> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
- Y  |2 S0 N5 }+ w0 d. l+ g> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
  l. N9 r' _3 k7 A7 B> 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,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
9 ?5 S( X5 j" ]* E3 N, h> 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
4 I- P2 n: q. h+ R, w9 V8 X$ p# c> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
8 [2 l: E* T2 U) W> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
) L5 f! t1 {. D7 o% H/ u) P6 H> 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
: J  y8 p+ ^, t; U> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
2 z; i% @1 o9 S- O. H7 T6 `> 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
: O1 O! J1 X0 G( W4 ~5 S> bit colder in the process?
2 B% n  }% I/ k( J  Q>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
4 Z1 i2 K4 u% t> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
" s) K9 o# M% r/ c2 E' j- d>
, r# z5 V8 Z. h$ W, d, A> You now have two choices:
- Q( h- w) h9 N' a6 c+ j% O6 L9 L' W> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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( [, k1 I) ~& U) f4 _6 R0 r9 {6 p# w> May your day, be a Shay Day.