Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 L& B# o: \, \0 Q6 A0 Y3 t1 M" f> 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
( i. B2 }. ?" [: q7 `! P! R> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
8 S5 W" P* N5 {: D0 F8 t: |, \9 V> staff, he offered a question:
>
* V" X8 u( @( G> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; N, W, [' p" |( t" ^> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
9 f5 t6 r, g, ]> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
4 E0 t6 S' _! t+ X$ r>
5 g" E% F& c5 w# D# m, t> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
3 r+ d% f2 V0 H# h) A) \* |$ x4 @> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
/ k6 ]- J+ r: v% p0 E+ w>
> 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
3 w1 o9 {! M- s> 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.
5 Z# H; j# m; ?3 B>
> 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
* z8 G6 a  U- M/ G1 O: }# Z> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
9 U# ^' Q3 x! C' b4 \; j5 b+ c> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
3 D2 }' V; |" s  V2 y; }* D) b> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
1 \$ ^$ V% c* w: ^4 M+ ]> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
2 p4 e# G* C: n' M> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
" u  E9 {0 G% z0 }> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 m% r3 u' d. n% Y) B> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
- r2 `; w& Q4 f, u& ?* ?+ j3 z, D> 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.
! ~# n. t+ g/ Y) E>
> 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
% ?. v4 z/ p) s7 m. j> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
) W$ z* N) k" n4 ]9 y& c% O! Y> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
0 b$ B5 K' J/ i0 a; y' l0 `> 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
6 N$ ~4 \3 ]$ _$ q9 [> 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
2 p5 x( f! _. A% P> right back to the pitcher.
>
' e% x4 {8 ^+ S> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) W/ k' S6 m- ?  P/ c. ]+ W> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
2 Y5 V4 N9 B8 B( V6 L& x$ n3 p7 r> 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
9 @+ ^* |* ~* c6 E: P3 x> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
% p9 }: X/ T3 ?) \$ V  v7 J2 S6 l> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
, T* `* {0 V$ B* x5 I; P> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
' G/ K  B" c& X) K> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
& g( R( [) n4 \" F. a( t> 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
: a. i1 V9 _& ?8 q- v8 N> 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,
9 `. \* ^4 U* U2 H3 O; H6 j> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
, o0 P* H( F% _' R8 S/ k9 }> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
7 c5 I2 }. F( a$ e! O- p. N1 `> circled the bases toward home.
7 j( c( Y/ @6 y# ~1 G& ^# u% ^>
) Y4 B0 Z4 w" }- b4 V& v> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
2 o/ c! T$ |9 ]$ _  M+ R: S>
5 H6 g/ e* X# S! J' y> 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!
5 S  |& J  j8 ?" S6 I> Shay, run to third!'
>
) y6 [: M$ ?& m7 y( a$ h* R4 q7 L) b2 L> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 X. |- t; [7 _5 A- J7 ]% C> 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
$ t* M) X1 s) G2 Y: Z' S> game for his team.
>
9 q& F3 L7 T8 w% |6 ~: @# @> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ T( ?2 y. o% V( C# B; I> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
) |% }( d3 y+ R/ l2 r. s' F- A> 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!
( b0 M* r% [8 @3 L2 P>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
! Y7 H; d0 G( {1 n0 Z) _8 c! ^  R- a) D> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
# r( B7 J+ s$ r/ Y* K0 n9 z( P% d> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
: w8 c, n% O! @2 Z& @  y> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 ]% R" y; g* |2 L. q) i> 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
, q3 d. X# @; 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
, c/ [# r4 c7 X" b% v9 j> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 v, U3 X- S. M) w> 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
  k! g1 |' u% _* c( O% L7 C> bit colder in the process?
$ ^6 h) b3 D4 c>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
1 K$ ]$ k% G- _; ~! L! r5 _> 1. Delete
( H3 V7 G' B+ u" L> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.