Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
; i2 E" ^/ I4 n* i  j( n>
& O; u8 P4 Y* H> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
6 w7 y3 n: o* x> staff, he offered a question:
$ ~- A5 T" b  c, B' i. `7 b2 b>
% a, u- Y- W1 n# B; G3 I> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
( A9 C3 k/ E+ m; M> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
# p$ \. a" s$ ?! a/ I>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! j  }4 A( c& U. J/ q" H/ Q' W> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
# w4 S+ t$ C& h! ^% ~0 S; ?/ y> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
0 n% b* p2 ^) K0 M1 P& |( ?  X) l, |>
> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
* R6 W, p" w9 E& @% X2 a% P4 E( I; \> 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
  k' e# v6 \! }$ b> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
7 z/ f& d5 j. R8 n3 v>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
3 _" }( y* {- R) a9 q> 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
! B  g5 }0 U  V8 G+ u> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
4 y/ z! p! o6 e0 j5 e! l> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
  r5 I! p% O+ _. L# H> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
6 {" D$ }% @; p- v9 B> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
" i+ y; x* ?$ r8 W! H* f> 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
: I1 \2 C1 e3 t  V7 Z> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
0 s" k4 k+ Q# W1 m/ N" j> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
# W9 o  y6 S! l5 Q4 D> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
2 v: q& o0 d; g, W> 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.
2 K$ i- X8 }5 |# M2 h4 w1 q>
# T2 \8 K! {3 b0 Q, A' f. F> 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
$ K2 \% B  w7 J9 T- f> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
2 R7 o3 T3 z4 p$ N- j' Q7 T( @> much less connect with the ball.
$ r) O2 n  \" C> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
% b  Z+ d# g* F6 f> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
# E3 u# ~; |, y6 B> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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.
( e0 R0 r: |: |# i9 `- q0 p>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; F/ I# t0 W; E1 o0 t> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
: ?  ?& u! b$ }- U) w3 e) {5 t/ T> 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.
0 z/ ~9 [) m/ e$ m+ `6 |, B$ h$ q" i>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
/ T  ?' _2 ?4 f$ A" B  {/ g> 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
8 V  C6 z% ?8 Y! m2 o) V9 t# ?> 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,
> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
/ h4 D* j& C) R) R* N' M>
; P9 ^# G+ w1 R; Y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
3 o6 e% V; d7 I- k$ T3 W>
( ]1 v$ J: T" ~2 z> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
! d8 b. f5 ~( j& p" r5 |- C; [# h; r> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
" u" ^2 K0 Y( ~+ e1 q. L8 e/ ]3 ?> 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,
2 \- I! ]2 K" _$ K9 r! I> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
! s/ G# K9 \& H& m! J> into this world'.
& Y+ E# B* [; x/ A. r* Z>
1 _: `  D& k/ ~. f1 e" B> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
. |: u. z! X( S# g7 f% X> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
* S/ c# ?9 ~3 A8 ~3 M5 [> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
. H  N4 m& }: p9 `/ Q$ W0 c>
> 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
( j: u  M* W* s; j0 y$ Z> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
# y' C! m* V6 q; K( Z. q6 S! C> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
  C; s( d9 x4 F! S& |> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
% g) V1 C3 c0 r5 q' }' G8 k> 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?
>
2 u. S) {' R8 s: R( m, C; ?> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
/ C& |! |1 X- @6 t0 Z% y> You now have two choices:
& \0 Y3 d4 a2 {% E* x> 1. Delete
- D7 x# E$ J  b1 R5 @> 2. Forward
3 W3 S7 |! Y# _7 A( ?>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.