Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
4 Z- @4 i' A* Q9 G9 u" Z( l2 t> 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
6 t* {$ q5 j+ x' b& d> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
* A" @8 }) P, k- q>
: r% B% n+ W/ A" c1 K8 G> '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
% @. x9 i2 L0 A, g6 N$ u3 W- R> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
! C9 }$ L4 o+ i2 N7 C; y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
9 E( P$ t+ {) I& m( {: W> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 T8 w- L0 S: H4 b3 D) C. Y1 k> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
5 f3 g/ D* D0 F" y9 E; q> treat that child.'
( Y8 N0 `( c  Y$ i>
( l" W8 Y7 W( U" e0 P& I> Then he told the following story:
$ Y. T5 ]# M* V. m>
- Z) Z2 A# e' p8 |7 ]' N> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
8 a: r5 p6 d1 k7 g2 j> 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
3 o+ L; e8 G! y> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
8 P% }- F- S3 |3 j> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
0 W! ^% J. ^0 P% v> 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
* ^, X9 e2 o9 y> 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
, h7 e# }3 t2 p7 p. m/ w> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
( ]& p* e: j1 [. |( |> 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
7 B+ \. @# X: Y> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
8 G# K6 W# X; V+ g) w> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 c% w4 \8 ~3 Q- J+ u0 h> 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
9 \6 o2 E5 A8 m# V1 v  j6 q6 p, x> 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
+ @- I5 G! q' X8 j4 k4 q> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
9 P0 [" |) \6 b) K> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
) f$ n/ b& g/ Z- f7 Y5 a$ r& s" Y> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
" A; H- D, O" r5 S2 Y9 K> 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
7 ^5 y6 D$ w4 Z> right back to the pitcher.
, d& W/ R4 I% a! k' V/ s>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 X' R; {9 T  L9 d' _  _> 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
. O8 ?; ^# u# [4 q5 }/ D( o> 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
& s+ N' t. c  z: @! ~> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
% K0 ]' J9 f% o  ~! Z7 P5 b>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
6 G5 q( |5 l0 A) h& U& b> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
2 E4 w, ~4 k1 B/ j, @( n4 J> 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
9 d+ m8 t8 P# ^2 W% w! q> 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.
: w9 I0 M% Z' d2 F( m; C>
5 D( T& p5 h, m* v> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
8 S. v+ K1 k( Z  Q0 k* g: B% _> 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!'
: }1 F5 C; m3 q+ o>
> 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
) N# j  Q3 L2 A, h8 a> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
, P( K7 U1 _" [- O3 \+ H> game for his team.
>
3 n% {( m( {' {( P> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
' B5 w$ X. Z* ~' C4 V7 z> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
" Z9 B0 ?& m# I5 H3 }  _> into this world'.
% W+ b* U$ t* V- h7 H9 l7 h>
> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
& Y5 o8 y6 h: L& n! q% m) e& _3 _> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
( [! B0 M9 m; }: {" k# Z  j0 d8 J3 z( n>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ S* c; v" z5 P> 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
- t: z1 C; r8 _# P! {; z> 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
) B2 _( l. V+ n/ G" N> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, c: c$ K3 v( I& J# O6 W> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
; R" W1 N8 ]" }; ^5 L> 2. Forward
* \! p" G) B- t+ F5 z>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.