Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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,
/ A0 Q1 q* k3 y1 s# G> 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
& u. T% q0 }3 a% d9 {5 r5 e& B> staff, he offered a question:
& g7 ?. i0 E2 v* I5 V& S+ }>
: F" J' I8 \5 a6 T: W* V> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) A& T, N1 u) R. d0 v% g> 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
; @& y1 K: J% ]. h) a9 U3 K; l> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
" W3 [3 o0 k8 d7 Z0 D/ B>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
: s) }( m# T3 q( D> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 a, M( ^, ?. @8 B( T, ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
6 K! P6 V* V: w! _>
- ]; Q8 l; J1 C' v> Then he told the following story:
>
6 o7 A- }3 X& t0 v> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
( g6 x7 E3 F( i3 x2 X# V7 L> 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
" [) s$ M5 H. N( K8 H6 x> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
5 I" f. t/ `7 q0 s> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
! o* @) s4 b" ~> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
5 k) p# J+ ?3 E7 K: U/ Q! p> inning.'
5 ]' }" i6 ?% z>
2 F5 I, \& }* c" M+ |# U5 c> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
5 U0 p4 `+ O  y6 m5 U! r( Q- t> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
6 m: b" F" a& e3 Z> 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
5 S1 u" A5 v9 X9 @0 G% L- j> 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
" ?" P8 s* k. y# L3 N0 h> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
" `/ |7 F$ I) @3 D1 d% c> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
/ q/ j  e7 o9 z' d* X> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
) U3 Q. l( y8 v. _  k) m> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> 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
- q" X* X! o: g> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
* {8 M$ Z* W2 @# R0 X> 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.
0 O: R; P/ @5 J# u& u4 Q> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
4 h, v% X! \" r  E* T4 M> right back to the pitcher.
. |$ G, z6 M& C4 V+ g>
$ g" E. H( C! m& w, v! B> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
5 w1 ]7 M% z. `& c0 B2 u> out and that would have been the end of the game.
; X+ S2 o8 o9 b" ?8 r>
1 R  M. `3 u3 K, K> 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
5 D, K) \" I  M/ j* Q" ]> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
" @+ E) V7 z" o9 R>
# Q1 _' C4 m1 l$ {> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
  S, c2 R& B# n$ U4 V( X$ H  T. S> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
0 y" T0 r% T9 ?- b: s> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
; Z/ |# p% Q2 e> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
- }( V* L3 L) s> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
( O5 Q# `: I8 K: r9 f  w* ?! j0 n6 \: p> 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!
( [8 ?# ?/ W" `> Shay, run to third!'
>
+ z' T/ k: v" M3 n1 @5 s' a! e> 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
8 u) x  \: r' h' q; q7 X> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
) X9 |( q/ E% E6 \6 L1 M>
> '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
. E5 |" T. _6 c/ k: r> 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
' U( O3 `- @2 Y7 j" |+ X2 Q$ j+ X> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
# i, \; Y. w' v  I% ~> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
3 J2 U. G3 E2 _/ r# y* b> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
" Y1 o, }( i$ d5 u  u0 B3 |>
' d! q& X1 k' S/ T$ k$ ?+ V> 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
% Z) D& V2 q5 \> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
* _  H( Q  N  @4 B> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
- r) N6 F, |* @4 f  s- \> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% w7 y& C! ?  j0 y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
" |6 z1 X' k* A0 f> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.