Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 C6 L8 V$ v6 g- \> 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
- Y1 L& s" [5 ?) u; v! k> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
3 s" I% |( q+ \2 F% N: P- c  y>
' ~* J$ p7 k* {5 p+ ?> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) V9 X6 i( r- M' p  W0 h2 ^- h> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
- r5 Y( w* K  h4 E> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
' l$ P) l9 o- I- g3 t2 _: M, o: M> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
5 \( @4 R% x; M> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
/ l# V0 K. y0 g8 P# [> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
  z3 d- B" N  p3 q+ p' s: V! M+ h> 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
. o" |; C/ w: F0 b  L- y> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
  I) ~0 R# l. k$ A> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
- Y  f5 S' c% E: \/ L" N> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
2 B1 {$ c8 t7 A, S8 V5 o>
0 f: o1 N# g# Q0 \> 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
> 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.'
>
> 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
> 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
: A9 N/ d' s3 o6 q! J# n> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
6 Y# U1 L4 j7 I! e; Z( z> 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
4 o  }' G; D9 |> 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
  @* S$ g8 k7 Y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
6 [. U5 F' c8 Q! U> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ Q8 x# |5 c' f! j. }4 {8 S> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
$ x  k4 |5 j) Q8 Y  @. b2 ?& p% w1 ~> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> 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
# s* q2 _6 _) ^( a> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
8 f% B2 v+ J+ D$ A4 a+ v; [> 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.
) _/ l! Q" o9 Q) C2 d! l; z" N, S>
! k8 p" U! u1 [' l% h> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ ?; k% ]) J& O8 L3 z1 b> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
0 a/ j' u% ]7 v2 t" F- m; B> 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
: a# g7 V$ u1 z' V* B* G3 @2 p> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
, v# [  e! {' P& m  V( {> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
# h/ d. t5 A; e6 f9 b# ?> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
% z8 T6 b9 t1 J4 F% W% P/ l> wide-eyed and startled.
) a# q, C8 x8 P* l7 v8 e' E>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
5 s+ Z: F1 q5 h# x> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
% b4 k3 ?. u* M  c: L> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
6 r% {( I/ V4 F" |8 U# k> 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,
/ m8 ~: {4 [+ ~1 @> 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
( R4 m$ C) M9 E. t8 [. D1 S> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
; P4 n* ~' e1 h3 C' @7 u> 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
+ W7 k$ x& D4 g7 y> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
4 _1 V4 }- N! Q+ P) M) V% M; r>
5 f; g  v2 ]$ I> '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
- s; V5 Y* G5 }" s3 u0 B> into this world'.
>
. e) l/ ?8 l$ W3 Y/ [- }' i> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' q) N4 A/ J" @2 Q7 @4 R. T> 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!
>
4 D" H" U* ^8 z) Z4 k& i4 `> 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
4 x+ u7 ~8 l0 e. A$ l" v> 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.
, B9 I6 ?8 x' X0 h2 x. j: 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
% T2 j8 s& @- C& g> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' T- u* M) s% H+ _) c2 O: r2 @> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
; Q3 l+ X' q$ P, i2 T9 s' V> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
; V$ X$ O% T& \/ L$ ?. |* p2 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
- i  V$ y6 h3 d- |  R" Q0 f- }# W/ T>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
: I+ W$ @. Y! G3 k+ k9 Z' D>
) C9 l: ~: E- K! s> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
5 {. G( s' I- ~9 r>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.