Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
: \1 F9 @) k9 t! d) Y>
" E, g4 G& h9 h% ~; U! S# ^: ^> 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
, q3 w5 t. I1 o% Y: M6 [2 K) n9 K> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" c$ c6 ~6 U) @- ]> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
7 _6 x2 p* v: U& k5 ^> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
/ z0 G# h8 Q# w% g* f/ q* {>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
+ u# I' _( B: P7 Y2 Y6 n> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
+ |- y% j7 P- _, u% a> natural order of things in my son?'
>
' Z2 Z, u' H) m% q9 t5 g> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
1 M! A4 G" s7 [$ e3 v) A: O> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' k& x$ F0 L' m7 Y7 H, I> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
  G: C+ U# j4 Y( f. p> treat that child.'
>
) i, I, T& |, Z- Q> Then he told the following story:
>
. H$ x! d8 v8 z! v! Q  h> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' R" Y/ x% X* t, Y7 a> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
8 P; s8 E& P, K; v7 n> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
* y) g6 ]- M/ H; \( P* f2 p2 ^$ L> 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.
  d: b3 i5 v6 A# I' C2 A. t>
> 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
7 M' J4 M3 f& Y* p# h% O+ u> 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.'
- j; u2 h3 z7 N% Z* T>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
, e6 |( K+ ^' Z  X0 x% _% d2 R> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
> 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
9 k8 P, Q' l; }- `) ]> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
3 d5 o2 g1 p5 e8 b4 M> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 i' e( q, [0 T9 _% V5 z6 u> 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.
>
+ F+ Q" n2 t# ]7 I, s> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
, _! h' T5 y/ T8 _% j> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
5 {7 K: e1 q* H9 x; C$ \# b> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
; t6 h2 `( r( D/ R5 v6 z> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
0 v" D8 e8 `* i" {' {. Z6 H> 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
; ~$ P' X6 j, c8 W( Z) r> 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
. X6 t1 e" N  v0 }4 z> right back to the pitcher.
>
1 V& K5 A5 Y( p) F) P- v# X> 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
# f4 Y+ i8 H; |* s) C, A+ g' _> out and that would have been the end of the game.
' w5 [) m6 \% V; k2 K>
2 y& W; ^( i" }6 D5 l# ]> 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
/ O! W3 J. S# M3 T6 R8 o/ A> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
& f" }6 V0 E' X> wide-eyed and startled.
>
' [/ H" k7 j/ G; n$ h> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
5 V2 ]1 m% a" x> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 j1 S/ ?$ x' `2 A& @> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
, F0 O2 L  H. M' l% B8 _> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
' j; ^, {3 d. e2 C" S5 `> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
; n$ {8 @7 C$ {0 ?7 p2 f" T1 q( r6 K> 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
* p0 i+ R, {' g3 e> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
" z) c. G9 C& ?+ n/ [6 P: ?> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
- p: }/ Y* h  A>
- T' x3 D" b3 }4 S+ X1 L/ {& 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!'
>
' s" _! ~4 i* k) y1 k! f> 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
1 q$ h0 H" w! N8 G- L, b> game for his team.
>
0 D6 ^" W  n% p> '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
& d4 R+ d) x& J) i! E6 r> into this world'.
/ z0 h5 u  C4 m- U>
> 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
* }- S# I- |0 G- ~+ T: r5 C& ?> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
- y+ W) d; y* P>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
) Y6 x' O8 o0 S% B> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
5 N% M6 y% e3 U4 D8 Q: \$ ~( s> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
2 ~. O# l. D$ @9 C- b+ Y> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
1 l" L- }- x- t2 P' F8 W>
5 c7 }) l+ h. ?/ o8 c0 w) f9 I8 @! Q> 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
> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
/ N% a; f8 O+ \, r; t& S> 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
: J& Y' o3 M9 u/ O& K9 I( f# A& b> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
/ e" }: t, p' {. y8 q0 [* ^>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 ?) H& L. s. J. }> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
7 K/ j) \/ J2 n: ]0 I3 R> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.