Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
& [9 |+ e8 P0 D9 D9 o> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( q; L6 G. t% S, h) s. Y1 l' G> 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
: {! a# }" c  ?4 z) `: ]> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- ]) C. l1 L. [> 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
* e4 ^) m1 E; A2 i; @6 u4 O9 b> natural order of things in my son?'
>
- [4 I, M8 X% o; ?" w% F6 f> The audience was stilled by the query.
0 M+ I- a! b) z& e# U>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* \% z8 E3 p" L; l> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
- r. i& b; k* C1 J( _& r/ j+ F! [> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
* y3 n$ P- ]/ x$ f% G( |>
6 _2 T* J; w' c> 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
6 L4 b* \% N4 s" T> 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,
! H" e) R6 a' G4 d# k5 I' r> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
0 B1 `# T% l/ L> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
; ~4 K' z1 J  }) x2 P> 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
' `2 y- P& Y, R1 S  R> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
" P4 N. a: Q( C> inning.'
>
> 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
: v/ |* P: M* w1 o7 G9 v> 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
$ i) {/ \+ F, ?> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
0 d9 y+ ?" j9 J$ I> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
, r6 ~$ D0 n, [# |0 S% z9 ?5 h* w> 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
* ~8 E% n( O6 x7 x& d> 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
> next at bat.
! G$ V& N+ ~7 g' m' z! N) R>
! ~0 O# z+ y- t% }- z! O> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
' w2 ]/ ?3 C" d3 Z8 V+ l> 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,
$ {+ W$ E  O+ W4 N$ m> much less connect with the ball.
, b. Y& N+ q+ ]( d> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, E# T2 f! p, v> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ V, M- b  \7 b* m% A> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
0 D, t' e9 `7 p, D2 e/ D> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
) D; u! \: Q+ M3 J7 Q* A' G- H4 }1 b> 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.
% W) U3 O' h' i  U! l8 @>
> 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
$ S( P- R% n4 A3 w> out and that would have been the end of the game.
2 P! X7 c8 i% c; ~2 I9 U>
: x. z6 e5 u! }# v# O+ U( e> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
3 p5 i, u1 O6 F+ I8 F) o- J8 l> 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
0 ]9 Q2 ^; b5 g  S# n/ s> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
3 {" s+ j( k. h. F> wide-eyed and startled.
+ Q8 B$ o3 s- _>
* J' h  \, x) p, q> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
& H: t6 E1 n, _& W; B> 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
/ @, M# f# h2 z5 \8 i, f' r: X> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
$ A; t* F1 f  @1 q8 T5 ?- h9 [> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
- t0 e; |9 T4 R, A4 `1 y8 F* \> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
( S4 g9 t4 a7 [+ L! \> 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'
>
; Z: w% P9 j/ ?# ^* Z6 E- V5 g> 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!
. _: t- {6 ~6 n/ v2 K> Shay, run to third!'
6 a" k6 B8 w8 N6 B9 U>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" W% S3 k& Q  H# @# T$ j1 W7 B4 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
. E. l2 t" X+ v" t( o% R> game for his team.
% P3 D& I( J" C8 Y2 Z: R: j9 E3 k>
  j0 \! s0 Z; [> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 @7 P* ?8 K; s/ R1 \> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
" s/ [' L2 b. P- k6 Q> into this world'.
) T6 s0 m, R) V& V" q>
> 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
# r. k9 F0 C1 P6 E: O> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
8 X* D; a: c# b% V) G! c> 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
; H+ r* h' N3 ]" @" u> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
3 Q# H( A! y7 [' b$ Z# s> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
+ e7 h% m- k, E( ?3 ]>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
- S2 t6 G  r/ O' b9 O* ~> 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
1 D' V! J1 _4 l6 ]& s> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
* f7 E2 d+ G0 V& O> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
8 x1 f; J6 y4 t# \- g! i>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
9 F3 S5 w, G+ e8 O5 ]+ W" F& Y> May your day, be a Shay Day.