Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* }8 r4 L! t( y0 v> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> 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
5 ^( P7 v0 b3 \3 B: q2 A: _5 s/ {> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
2 u+ n$ w' U  Z* ^> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
) B2 ]/ D' k$ o' z7 o> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
1 E& y6 J% `, M! ]$ y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
, w# B. j1 O  I3 E  R. w6 n> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
* v/ l" v0 E3 {. N+ w> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
' Q& m4 F: j9 j" h> 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
0 J, o' F! q* D  f4 t8 H8 U- _> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
- ?8 }. s: d: X$ y! p* ^+ C$ K> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
8 i5 }( n) A6 ?: o2 V* h> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
1 i) i6 w- a* f0 o# e> 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
$ J& W" e2 Z0 d- `9 g> 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
: e" Z7 }+ Y6 j; d> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
! A$ ~  ~* |& b& j1 c( s> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ A6 M& ^6 `" ^$ Z8 b> 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,
* U! z9 a0 `* l2 b) H4 Q> 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
3 i6 ~2 \% n8 t# W6 L> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
0 U/ I4 f  O6 {0 u( |8 ?) _> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' ?2 ]8 X/ R1 Q/ E: R3 |> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
$ c/ g- d2 K6 r* W> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
% f, h3 B. }, 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
> 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,
" i0 E( Z5 C* r6 o> wide-eyed and startled.
>
6 n" g# _# ~2 F( G> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 q0 J+ R! f9 Q8 c$ i. S> 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
" S% O: B* j6 K0 n) R: p9 T5 h> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
. E$ Y' j5 u+ Q( C> 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.
5 w9 X% w; h, I' V) d1 V1 d6 P2 a>
8 |) o) g1 ?1 K# }3 a% e8 E> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
5 ^1 c; Y3 r3 s# O& n6 ]0 e" k>
8 g! \) ^5 g( J$ a$ b4 g8 g) Y& z> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  T0 S) v: z& T/ H* B> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
2 n/ e' U/ f$ `6 t0 L2 a> 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
  b) v; O6 ?$ P2 }# u2 M* k: u! I> 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,
+ w( b% Z9 X2 H" j: `+ e( P5 e> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
3 G4 p! L4 f/ m8 K& h) x) {> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: v6 b! U# e4 E9 q9 y/ j* l> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
, i; {7 |  y4 m7 t6 j> 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
5 n3 s8 ?4 ]5 c) ^, z4 t1 Z- x> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
+ Q0 f. ?% q  f1 u5 u1 J> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
1 g: n- P3 j0 z+ a> 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
* E, y0 ]0 d0 i3 |" H> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
& E0 S- }# D9 @" x# {> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
8 R7 K* n' q2 h0 {+ f> 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
- H* v0 G1 Z/ n# _' ?# ?> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
1 q' B* j, Z* K6 C. _3 {> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
  Y; U7 y% g4 `/ h" v> 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
7 `9 d$ k9 `" _> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
% ^" ^$ f! g% p* W6 m- K: P> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
8 Q/ u6 ?2 q7 P4 z0 I: {( @> May your day, be a Shay Day.