Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
  D' c. O2 R! o; j> 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
> 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
" f& ?% P. K. ?7 t> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ b" r; D, N- N> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
& }/ E) U! i% s* K  k" }% L$ V> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
" A7 a" E' z9 x% r' C> natural order of things in my son?'
1 Y. }' Z# [1 u- N6 p1 d>
! v) u3 ^" n, B7 I2 y> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
& N! G" Z2 ]. L; j> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. Q1 P$ i4 M8 e% J: c5 r9 Z* h# r> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
! ^7 }& \" m* ]: G; k> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
5 Y& o3 o+ D( u> 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 U: [6 {0 b! ?9 C7 Y) ~2 p  p; T> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
9 P. [) Z  Q' Y" A" P  @: s$ f> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
4 d, Z  k5 a+ B+ b" y4 }7 H! c: T> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 i$ m6 Z$ q7 J8 ]  f4 L, i> 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
! O3 A1 u/ ?; U6 @! ?> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
* z' A* ~3 e9 X9 V# F! A> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# Q5 E" l! U. c> 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
5 s* J- y  J- I# T9 G0 V, x> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
/ @1 y' Z: Y7 t! ]; u( v( B> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
7 o9 q, e8 d; V% S8 t> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
, g" D0 I8 A' o% H" {6 G. O: d( p>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
, B2 m1 {* ^4 z; P0 a5 h> 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.
( b# E. Z9 Q5 w  G> 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
- G. n, S$ O: B! A0 v0 ^> 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
> 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.
>
% R4 z0 m" q$ R7 {+ v> 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
4 G  ?" m4 U: t: }* S& f5 g> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
$ h# i& ]% q1 i  V" J( V3 K> 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
( F% e5 O7 y+ V5 R  z1 I$ X> 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,
3 F/ V* c. ~, B> wide-eyed and startled.
% x6 f# E0 t6 Z8 V2 C>
) U2 I1 U$ d0 u  C0 L! L> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
/ Y8 X/ T2 ?% S4 d* G' l> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
2 J8 `9 B6 F) N' T9 Y0 i$ a0 o> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
& L! M8 d2 P* C% h) G5 C; Z. G> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
0 h# j+ \( ?9 T0 l, k0 f# p> 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
7 e3 V# {, u3 ~% R- t> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
6 H  g) x6 _+ D. C$ f# i> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
7 E# X+ y/ N6 n' K  Y- \$ r>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
' }0 T4 N8 V* P) h! v+ u> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
. ~4 R+ {2 M6 j4 A; @: h> Shay, run to third!'
>
% X" ~0 k$ h* v6 a$ |+ G0 Q6 t" f# O> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 H% B8 h! K+ S" M2 M4 f> 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
6 R" H- e9 ?/ ^" q* M0 g> game for his team.
1 b3 g8 v" r  q- ~7 P>
2 {2 R7 _2 L' Z( f& i$ K> '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
> into this world'.
) @0 T4 F6 o1 @* `>
> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
3 i4 k& Y- p4 O9 F; X& F6 l2 F> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
  \3 M) T2 O% u6 @1 m8 \% |. ^  r; i5 W> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
; |5 |/ j$ y1 t% D" L& `> 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
/ M: n# b5 s6 a. E$ s> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
1 N" o* ]5 e6 j> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
& Z' P' D  q5 z. f3 [> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
& B9 u- c4 Y  Y0 ?>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
0 v, |1 [+ I1 J5 i> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
0 T1 _7 K6 B) i5 X' f0 Y> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
4 E8 M  {  g7 h$ A! P( }' z2 p> 2. Forward
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9 l& d! {. g4 k* L' d6 y& z> May your day, be a Shay Day.