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
. [, U4 i$ w4 K+ ~( V$ I# i, Z6 |7 s> same choice?
>
3 D( |, w: a( I# P> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
; u1 i- ?" g7 x  h& T6 J) u> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
, B6 B5 [6 ~/ z4 B> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
  j; R4 g# a8 i3 G> staff, he offered a question:
>
! m; w! J$ [9 ^! K> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
& j2 e3 x+ M8 H7 }; W& x5 M( O5 `> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
% c9 ^, X& l0 n  O6 _! _> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
/ e9 C8 Y6 a1 G5 q>
, a. C4 a. M' O  o( I' T" U> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
' O. m! i* [* X> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' X' Y) Z: d1 N& h  d4 T> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
- \  y5 v, ^8 ~1 X, m$ E: {> treat that child.'
>
& m  F8 J* E3 F7 E' ~$ e> Then he told the following story:
* U& S' R% {, Z1 C) Z>
> 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
> 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
' V1 o2 \$ f5 J; ^9 P8 Y. }> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
% y) M' _4 J" y9 h% n4 F>
# K: l! g# O1 U> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
: i) e& \) V$ E# D" V4 [! O6 f> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
4 `: S: ]* K/ h0 u- P3 M6 J* f>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> 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
> 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
+ `5 a7 ~6 o9 [> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 k# Z7 ]- r& U: O> 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
$ u" m! \) \, P* J4 `> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
$ X: a% t+ N1 m: Y5 U9 M> next at bat.
7 s& {$ j" b/ o, i5 a1 o>
> 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
8 C, r. ~! @, P$ J2 }> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
# I/ b9 A- t( U> 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
( M2 i* }; \, p! H> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ A) V' ^+ s, W. l2 z0 S> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
- L4 t* f( U" g" i# G  \> 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
) ]; X# k, Q% P> right back to the pitcher.
" H0 U2 T# M) d, h>
2 X0 M7 U( t1 c' B  h0 k4 k> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: H- }0 F+ M- q! h8 j> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
. j& U6 W, H. b+ ~: _2 X; F* b> 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
+ ^- ~) F6 N$ i# N3 p; q> 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
+ v) Q, W. _& F8 V  m+ q( n> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
- f6 q+ e5 i9 j$ q5 c  z: G> wide-eyed and startled.
>
* E8 B/ U5 q5 T% N# u* @  d> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
" ]; c' G9 P! n$ ~/ y> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
4 m* E' f2 R; `  Y> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
4 Z; w; s/ q; `( k+ ]> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
4 |2 e/ d; c- T0 U2 f> 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
+ ^' S# ]% {, h' o3 ~> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
$ g. Z# f: ?) n/ G/ X>
- h9 s1 j5 R) S6 @> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 f+ A% D. N8 `# F> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
3 F8 U+ [& [  H2 o: o>
% x+ _/ p2 O  `7 h+ @) ~3 \> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
0 Z: |# w% k% d" ^6 q> 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.
>
> '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
$ z3 N  l. q  N) ^# }6 _2 I, b- U> into this world'.
0 [4 U9 j& T' o/ O4 q>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
  D( X; Q3 h% t4 d. o+ j" T! b> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
$ F3 E- f/ w: I' T> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
7 a# p2 u% m9 H>
, P$ g: i& p1 P# @> 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
7 V! |& g) W2 b0 [> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
! }; ~% Y6 D: F" R- l> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
1 u! u$ b% V0 Y+ E  J6 \> 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
7 R3 s3 ?* q1 d0 S& n> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
: ], w3 w7 W3 H> bit colder in the process?
>
% Y% {2 k& @! S9 E% q! b> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' o% o, ^/ K; x  Z+ W$ Q5 E& q> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
6 m' F% F: W- ?, L- f>
> You now have two choices:
8 B& U0 S% f  @& g- {> 1. Delete
$ [& N/ X6 H. s> 2. Forward
  u# j1 ~( b$ K; m>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.