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
! _- r+ p4 {. b0 w> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
8 Y5 H; @$ f2 h" s> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
8 G* l& b# ]3 |+ i' A> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
+ I$ u9 |3 k9 n- ~>
> '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
7 U: \. H4 A- l2 T- R3 t> natural order of things in my son?'
>
4 D+ u  X" V) s0 {" X4 d6 q: ]3 x> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
& L( e4 x& m! [9 j  g> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( i: Q( S  S/ w* ^: I> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 z) [( p- P- p% r: Y: s' |% S> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 F$ o- |% Y% F1 o. ~! h5 K# Z> treat that child.'
>
4 L" `- C# b+ \- b: B: H> Then he told the following story:
>
( C" Z  a6 C8 H4 U9 Z9 D" M4 N> 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,
) t5 w) z) [6 f) m2 C> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
) [3 v" s2 ]+ [9 U2 J>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 B; Q0 x. o  j  f6 h6 ^> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
# K( ^1 b4 P6 B7 |3 p> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
* t1 @6 Z+ i' M/ x+ W* |- H> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
) R2 i- Q! _: ~; t6 a4 i% [( D> inning.'
6 {9 L" h) j4 z>
" r% @/ K7 }. F$ n) @! |1 w> 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
4 G7 M9 C9 S' l( e, Y> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
/ V$ @/ I! g6 E! u/ |/ q" R> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
, W8 q: e& r% \% o7 t) v> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
* Y2 t1 }, j# }! Y4 ]> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
3 |6 j, v% z- K+ A* k> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 |$ s1 d: J+ T. `> 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
2 V  J* b* {! t' P1 ^> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
4 ]7 e# J% t: G  ?> next at bat.
>
. S, @8 M7 l% n> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
8 S. D8 G1 O" \5 i. D+ r8 w! w5 z> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
$ ~& f7 D  G- \" L# Y> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
7 ^' W" {+ @" }! }: b# D0 u; o2 c> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% y! @7 ^- q# @> 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.
+ J: `- g( B. t  F0 {  ~> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
0 D( F7 I$ t0 L) U+ V> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
9 B- z9 G/ _% O% F> 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
5 k4 n1 }, h+ t- l1 N> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
) ~1 [" A# Z' R7 O1 K7 |! p> 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.
2 S; ^+ q6 T  @>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
6 D8 G5 I8 D  K4 E. o> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: r) N  E5 o& z  r( P- R+ q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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$ u. T  \, v2 C* [6 v3 ]> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; }& o3 W+ G  q+ E1 n. E> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
/ q4 O( _5 ?) r: r1 n: L% T, b> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
6 Q; y6 I* S' O9 _$ G9 N/ H> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
* G: m9 F( f' F7 U! b> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
& L- f' M0 n1 {> into this world'.
" i5 f6 w5 W' f5 C5 t: o>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
$ J8 S9 M2 b! u9 X0 L7 @> 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!
>
* [8 C2 q7 Z$ r( o. 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
& ]1 F6 S- a% r6 c! S- R" s> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
' r2 `) x, d1 N' C: |; _> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
/ `) r6 Q& V/ O$ P- b# J- n> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 {- |2 J# `3 A> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
/ m" t6 G0 _/ ^3 E> '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
> 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?
: G1 I7 j# a; h* \, U8 m>
5 y8 g  N4 o& I& S# w> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
/ v) E, {1 a, B. |0 c# L>
) W* k, J; M* k2 d8 K> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
: y" ?  T7 _0 Z! Q5 ?& Z: n> 2. Forward
>
5 S" w- t) j# P7 M9 d! u" E/ X> May your day, be a Shay Day.