Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
  ~6 E. i" h% d: ?; {+ j5 U> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ g. l: ?3 R$ G7 z7 s" l> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
& N0 I8 F: `  g( u8 e> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
4 i0 J# h6 Y6 H( v. s> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
9 a4 t- Z0 \3 j( L) S# ^- J6 ?> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
  A0 J  x7 l; d# ?, I( t> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 X2 S! j3 A) P9 p7 @% U> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
6 n, [2 ?( f3 ~> natural order of things in my son?'
6 E" P+ y/ M& r4 w- w# w1 _8 U1 O>
3 `  u; O2 s4 T) N3 t> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
* E5 V4 o, {. H# u/ l' p" [> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
* h0 Z! E" ^; Y> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ b( L9 Y! O" L" r" N8 D: B5 _> treat that child.'
/ x  e2 u- O) \8 ^7 z! C>
> Then he told the following story:
  W5 x& [3 O" G8 {' _% N, ^>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# ?, ^$ Z" |6 w8 c' F> 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,
2 K' K- J9 f8 f6 `+ g7 I> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
' |5 C3 [; a$ @# o$ s: e6 @>
4 j4 S' E. z. L$ M; c8 y% @> 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
! {4 E2 f5 s# l> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
0 C% r* I  u9 J: @/ F> inning.'
5 L; p, N8 B; _1 d+ p5 v" H>
> 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
# W8 e6 Q+ ~. U2 N9 N. R  Q> 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
- v% h3 `& z( e> 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
- N8 \1 R; O4 t+ u0 q> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
  _: V' u" D- R> 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
, \8 D: ~( C7 q3 p0 Q* I) y> 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
8 {; N5 ~9 G. J/ S5 ~6 M! \> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
& x& C) d/ L! ^5 D* h! O; ~> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
4 d( \# h2 W: t- s( ]6 c* u> 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
* V' v7 Q  u% Q* o5 i  l- o> 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
! i, Z/ e2 q3 {, G9 l> right back to the pitcher.
>
/ N- r, w& }9 u+ S0 R- z6 F4 d> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 [1 l2 }0 E  _* ~2 F  e> 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.
>
> 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
& @- z* a+ E* U: O6 `& m> 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,
- L# M/ }1 R; N% y! L( t. U> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
6 |+ j& P) h. S> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, r7 ^, Z4 w5 F  Q5 i0 k) q> 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
* W+ |) f9 |8 B! `> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
5 Z, N& z8 R0 C3 c8 k* P> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
+ r9 v" E5 V% ]; }; g>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
! [) p$ l0 W  J9 ]8 g>
: T) t6 b) u9 F  E+ U> 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!
" n% k" G' H. n3 r9 m> Shay, run to third!'
6 {5 |- w1 Z9 i4 D( G4 G/ g5 B>
> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
( P$ \$ h+ N/ g# m> game for his team.
- k5 o0 h0 _6 `! _>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 ^- w/ {$ s2 q9 J7 f. A> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
( u+ s2 C' {5 ^* i+ 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
# x* _/ P9 v8 N5 F' z2 a, q> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
/ L/ q4 b9 ~6 A. C5 a0 f& |>
7 H- s! Q$ ?9 J! C7 y> 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 R$ G; y" X# U) K% Q+ x0 P0 {> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
# A7 ^- n/ r' f& R> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
1 y1 |" h" C1 {8 {% L>
> 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
: \  C5 ]2 ^3 P5 o> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
  G" l4 K; y5 v& Y; W> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
$ H5 m5 d7 V3 I1 z' V5 B. V/ V% P> 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?
7 T* a' y  {4 e6 \( ^$ O# N" d>
4 x5 Q7 \/ t7 [; g* [> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
4 k3 d) M7 L% r( r>
> You now have two choices:
+ u3 r% f( L% y: E> 1. Delete
% H) C+ ~5 m; I, w) |1 z4 _3 e) ^! u> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.