Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ p% q0 o& [" T% J: F. x4 h) n1 o> 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
! m0 [8 s% ~( y) H0 a> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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0 h; h5 u$ w3 k! \- s> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
. U2 P3 G6 j/ q# S> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! M9 ~8 q2 b+ H9 {+ _: @5 F> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
1 N( S9 d5 y! e/ E5 f> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> 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
1 V: g5 S3 g) Z> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
5 Y; }1 ~" k: L' l> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
4 r- r# n* l8 K0 H> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
# v, j6 a# y8 O) j> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
+ a: [5 }9 Z5 M+ T/ S" ^& l8 u> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
1 u# T* ]9 c, V- r> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
2 }2 ?& U6 t- q0 S6 a9 y3 z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
: ]( I1 U: S% p' F> 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.'
6 Y/ {0 i5 X8 N9 C' R>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
9 h  r5 j% [% y3 d- R3 g> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
  X0 b4 y$ }. }0 G% J+ k7 A7 h$ b> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
5 c/ W% \3 [0 q2 }) h: Z1 U> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% m. d: ?& }' Z9 ~9 [1 z2 B! f  E> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
/ h! `' t' D5 E) M> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
+ X' P9 W  o+ {3 G9 G> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
" I& ^/ Z1 `; v7 B> 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.
> 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
> 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.
6 E3 H3 o3 I% \* E> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
5 R; S  v/ i  Q9 Q2 y> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 b) m' `, Y1 ]9 {6 N> 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.
: q. F2 e8 j/ g, j# D. s$ H>
0 s& N2 h) ~/ G> 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
8 g7 @. O6 |( C; ?9 b0 N( t: H8 \> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
5 Z) O! k' V0 M# o* K> wide-eyed and startled.
>
0 e+ v5 S# u/ c( n% {5 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
> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
" ~4 f1 C7 F' V) G> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
0 Q% h: B' B/ C5 k4 R7 a' Z> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
& G' w+ d7 f5 d% U>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
. n. H# d5 ]0 k> 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
1 A5 e: w- m! v$ V* O9 i> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
, S( s2 z- I/ D- |5 {! J# U> 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,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
. x) P) ~) y. T; z& f6 ?+ O0 j>
2 A) z0 c$ }5 Y; H; |+ ]; D5 u; }. [> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 j3 h4 e& s1 c$ c- }> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
9 s4 W* P8 c  @9 H% F* P3 Y> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
; |/ w8 M6 r1 F/ q>
  v5 ^! z( w/ |) S2 ?+ w" P& c1 U> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  z: n* E0 H- B( h8 K> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
6 [( B- K4 F( J7 C" }> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 E) k- U) x2 N) _3 y. j> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. g( [% E! @$ T+ I! X# t$ p> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
0 V0 h/ z& W  {# W: @0 y! W> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
" a9 c9 B6 A+ f. {+ h4 c: f) k1 D5 Y> '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
) o) \; P0 F% X6 Y> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
+ g1 {/ d8 c; R1 q! b" F> 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
* _" |- F8 }+ m+ j- k; W> bit colder in the process?
) i9 j6 [0 P- t6 E6 j>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
2 v* j0 }& J. Z) D! @7 v>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
- K8 X0 C: y8 g4 V> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.