Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* v9 H' r" f$ X$ F1 y; F0 Y3 t) G> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
3 D0 l0 A+ k6 U0 ]> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. s2 w6 h; n" W& w# u0 I> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
6 x# ]5 r! t: X! |7 C6 ]> staff, he offered a question:
>
5 Z: w' `! x& {9 d3 a; M( N> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
" f5 Y' }7 d( |; c> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
- Y9 v9 L( j8 @! |6 a> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
) }! f4 r* a! Y> natural order of things in my son?'
>
: L- t2 ^1 H) a! ~% [> 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
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
. ]# K4 ]# v" l  s/ g; n+ ~> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
6 @/ ]3 P, Q: p6 S> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
2 L) Y, S4 B+ P3 g5 [" B>
: g  i2 @# s% C  s+ d1 a- J0 x> 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
1 V2 o4 f' P3 u> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
2 P( K1 R* G' h% H6 y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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! Z, S7 H& Z7 e( O> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# k. u) i) ^5 ~! _> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
& E0 L8 V& ^& u; ^. s; l' ~  s> 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
% ?! G4 Y9 r$ k) o5 m5 C% z> 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
> 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
- P' v- C# j; |# @7 b> next at bat.
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> 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
6 L& _5 x. c( @  T! t4 k$ i> 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
4 S7 J8 H7 @6 \! q> 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.
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# w2 U& q* j( p+ A: b& d> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& e/ P8 a5 }5 X) {" k> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
# O. T+ t6 S# Y+ h; g& r> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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8 r, W: V$ ^+ v> 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
# _% x5 T7 A2 ?/ r" w) M& g> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
! |0 R6 x) `/ `' h$ w2 Z> wide-eyed and startled.
>
& T' j3 n9 A* Y# Z3 F) ^0 b* j> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
$ d! L$ {, U0 l* u> 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
. y7 F1 v2 d' F2 i> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
' n7 ^3 ?5 @+ T; B> 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.
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8 {- m7 f8 d4 l( a. {> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
( d& r. m8 W, \4 ~> 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!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
0 X  ~5 ?3 J- c. P1 N> 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
> game for his team.
3 g! P) ~2 |% n3 U& e>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 M' q# R) @; o. M: ]% C$ k8 }/ \> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 N+ H" v; O4 A5 p  Y+ D2 l7 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!
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* {* }# K- Z( ]. d# N. O> 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
) k' k  S/ K- y) x/ j0 q# f# ], a> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
! }( t$ a* ]* X* W> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
" h+ q! F$ b4 V8 j/ ]> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
1 u' m; O5 f- M0 D. N4 l2 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
4 k7 @) T6 z# s8 T6 k7 N> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
" Q0 ?% L6 S4 c( _> 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
/ m; t" u: k& M> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 m0 j; ?% p- i: C) d2 l. z> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
  F6 H# T1 L( I+ f, I4 x> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
8 k) G6 E5 i; {5 Z9 ^; [  j& f> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.