Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, V" d4 Y6 |7 o7 O. s> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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6 Y2 I+ y2 m9 U0 u! O9 G> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
! L/ s3 ]5 }$ i7 M> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
3 h7 P: L; X) S# |0 Q> staff, he offered a question:
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8 ~4 [5 v( v( m3 \' N> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) ~* h6 O2 i% i0 }> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
2 N8 T9 @' ~( G# I. _+ m> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
0 m6 c" O+ A3 K" x3 P$ _8 m> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% e# _7 y) P* A" f3 n  k" A4 _> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
7 @0 ~2 e2 E0 n7 [8 a  Y) _>
  u3 x$ v3 T: y3 ]( v> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
7 I% K& M$ W# I5 t> 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
& [6 w6 b9 t) ~% Y> 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
$ s4 [" w6 V5 A; L7 R> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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, c  k5 o1 Q9 n9 B* f- r) w> 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
+ k2 |2 v5 `5 ^+ I) ?, E' `> 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
' v" W3 ~0 J4 y& M> inning.'
5 U. r8 H2 k$ A: }8 s>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ m5 B' J) A8 ~# Q  p, }> 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
6 w) ?' {/ K; I% ]5 e; \8 Q> 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
+ s0 I  |+ D7 f; X6 j> 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
5 U/ o4 v4 o6 z# h2 u% v9 J> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
% \& f( h7 @. a; f> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
8 I: K3 a9 q# s' \4 x% t> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
8 r$ W# y' H1 j/ M% r) _! A5 ^> next at bat.
>
2 `4 J: Z: K  Y. k- J8 y> 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
3 q( T% j( c5 p2 l, r+ D> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
# y# q* [: H9 w. t, u% b# j> 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
/ |& i: @$ v( f6 m: ?' O9 A: @8 g> 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
/ _, q7 S+ D7 U1 r& C> 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
( \* r3 _; n& H> right back to the pitcher.
>
# ?: w  M+ P; A# z; i& ^# ^7 ~> 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.
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6 |4 M' F% w+ r* r> 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
  [3 k. Z4 g9 \/ ~> 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
6 o7 ^3 x* \4 |' K> 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
0 T) D( R' f+ T$ e5 i/ h> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
' B8 w' l8 f: M: |# a8 k> 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
7 Z" x. G( j8 ]> circled the bases toward home.
>
7 l: |5 q5 {* s! @% _> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
* c. J, X' T1 Y* U: ]> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 z6 D$ p$ o. G; g+ P. m> 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
; \4 U2 ]" i0 r7 _! n8 p> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 _# Z& c: U7 `( z- ?: {> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> 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!
>
0 r8 q. ?) _. N( X> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
: X7 {% Z1 Z! t* g> 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
0 ?( c* i! S: m! `+ V8 |8 Z; Y. I0 ?1 V> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 `1 W4 v+ D. S! D+ Z> 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
; f* B% U9 n; x: R) \5 [0 H> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
1 t% ^6 k' `4 i/ m: c- g3 r> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
) @) R* B1 @- P( C1 N: c# M) X3 o> 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
$ x0 N) X1 K0 Z/ `> 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
- f# t+ n! O( t# }6 r> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
% p5 h4 T3 [" @9 N> bit colder in the process?
$ o! u) Q& _7 p% I0 H. }) ^>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" E5 ?6 m  b9 Z) D2 V2 _> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
  o/ W" C( }- D> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
# u( H+ e/ u/ |0 K. y9 d> 2. Forward
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( A5 K! l# x0 k: l) T1 i> May your day, be a Shay Day.