Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
! \7 q3 R; C. j7 P5 ~4 V! R> 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,
4 x. a2 H6 x. H) m> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
  I. ^+ q" F* Z5 P- j0 a+ ^9 g- N, `> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
1 Q9 N  V$ i. `  A> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: ]  h* \8 [4 G# S8 \2 k- E- h> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 @4 E9 Y$ K$ G> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
2 ]! ^, ]3 {; m* R2 q>
: u* l, }2 l$ H6 M4 k+ i4 h> The audience was stilled by the query.
7 |/ Q: |2 i& T+ l# w>
, x/ K. ]! v6 Y) l% B> 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
5 C. d9 w( U$ i; g+ y> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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9 m6 |5 U7 X) R1 T+ K6 S$ \> 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
* B* ~/ f# Y( N- e4 d- H1 a> 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.
>
! B  @( K# i; I, c  L2 P2 p> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
" `" [+ M* h' }/ V8 P9 Q> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
7 m) o8 N6 p: c( `! ?> 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
- J+ `$ t; K9 y0 v> inning.'
>
* }( |1 b" M# R% _* a( Z> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
2 a. L9 G# q0 w. d6 q* O> 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
4 M) ?' B7 t+ h8 ]  O8 Q' y9 |> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
, ~& H* W7 t8 r( _, f> 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
, T# c1 s. k" R8 Z6 p/ o> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
& A. d$ B2 q  J5 `& u; i8 z) y> 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
. @+ a+ h  H" {  ~" @> next at bat.
>
8 q/ }/ a! }& v5 x4 m> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 N) Y) I3 N: ~: J" n- {9 Z> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
6 h% Y# B2 v# n& W( ~9 `> 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
8 [8 g9 c) _* F: M) H5 k* Z% S) ]> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
, m0 N% R% i0 P8 N; w( s1 x> 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
* G' I1 D2 p3 @. @+ |6 \0 C4 N9 u: _> right back to the pitcher.
>
" d* e* }, }  }% Q$ V1 _2 S4 ^> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
  G# [* Y2 S- T> 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
2 F9 g: ]7 J* o. \6 J( c/ F> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
( A; P+ J/ d# M2 I, ~> wide-eyed and startled.
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3 p4 W/ I3 b0 q> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 `, Q! W- ?4 Q( K6 L. }> 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
  Y5 K( _# a8 C0 c3 D/ E> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
! L9 w6 p/ ~/ p> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
. }0 z6 ~1 H% d( i, |# V> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
3 z6 v' x' _$ m1 N, s2 ^3 u> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 I$ q5 A+ B! ~* ]7 i9 w, n' f% ~> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
3 G4 t$ O6 u; @" g0 M( f> 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!
+ I0 |" B+ S) C; D/ G1 d( }, `> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
5 X0 @5 @. k" {) }> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
! ?( E9 D& Q6 o: [) ~5 P! T> 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!
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> 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
& x3 ^2 X( f' {2 Z! }> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
% n# J+ ]" J7 ?' l' g" O# M: X> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
> '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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
* W4 T3 Z; V) {3 ]> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
& c$ F* H1 B. k' @6 u& L> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
6 Q7 D0 A" d- Z* _) i- L+ G>
5 s0 Q5 l0 k9 Y! ?3 z% \> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 l6 s2 H# j% D2 h& h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
2 x& a- @0 H1 w2 ~& z7 Y$ {, z- X>
> You now have two choices:
2 v3 q) Z- ~% r. |$ o( V7 s6 ?& G& b> 1. Delete
* l8 j+ V3 M9 b' p6 y; X> 2. Forward
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6 l3 k  u0 d. ~* U$ N9 C1 H! y- r> May your day, be a Shay Day.