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
! Z5 u- C! \% A% ^0 d> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 L# Y+ C7 B/ e9 O> 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
* P* @" q* t' v' Y; n- C> staff, he offered a question:
>
  K! s% b' g3 Q/ O> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# y: x8 I% w! N2 H1 S( \2 \> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
" f3 Q+ c+ E6 j: A* M4 e>
9 |, n4 O6 L/ p& a2 ?! u> The audience was stilled by the query.
9 Q3 Z2 T9 H9 v, x>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
4 ?5 H5 B( N* ]4 F5 w7 p2 \& F" V> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
& d( D8 U; Y; O: J  u> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
6 q% J4 t$ N# L. V: {> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
& K: b1 ^8 G% r& E, Z' X> inning.'
>
% C! O) ?3 R: h& V> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
+ X: G( U- {! \: F# W- o> 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
% f3 R0 @& M, y1 ^! p! [" `> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
9 q: {' l( r, G6 |% l> 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
' x9 z) s! X+ p( \# D5 ^> 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
> next at bat.
6 D" {) u8 A! q) W$ C>
> 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
> 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
' ^" b- l# R: o> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
9 K9 v  }8 z. U! v# ?) J. f3 {+ N> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
& D- N( K6 d# ^: K9 Q" d. X> 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.
6 b2 [, A7 @# b8 ]> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
: I8 A0 j7 G6 Y1 s9 U6 z3 U8 ^4 \> right back to the pitcher.
! V; t4 V# I3 f5 C! \' N>
8 h, x) X0 y2 h7 P8 b> 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.
5 u1 M0 g$ A0 ]; ~6 {>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
3 \+ t  Q1 Z6 ~# o2 e> 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.
$ ^: Y$ `! d5 B. U# k6 L" Y>
9 X) Y1 s8 I# j) N8 ]* Q8 ^/ n, L> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
; _2 F& j3 W4 q3 d! x( Z1 F> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 A6 K% L9 J; u0 E7 B8 W> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
. c, G5 h% K! X! R" b1 P% E> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
6 g9 ?, a6 k1 |) ?  k0 _# s> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
+ m" ~5 I/ d& W4 K; j>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
0 R8 I( j: ~/ e. f4 J7 `# }5 n; e>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 J! Q6 L- [, a0 d! p: l> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
5 y0 m. Y# d5 Y0 a/ \>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
. P6 p2 O5 g. S$ h> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
. K: _% R+ F, E> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
- F1 L+ [  `, Q  }* t! v> game for his team.
>
> '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
. x& w$ b1 ]5 w/ p> into this world'.
>
> 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
! I! i3 G( I+ M3 b3 f> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
. M9 D. B; Q# b  N>
> 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
. p6 x3 {+ s" s& b> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
- [4 m4 }  T3 k$ x2 f8 d* 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
8 u6 E5 f; D! o, [# c$ w> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' g* M4 s; v$ T& J> 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
) F4 `  n* ]3 U) y$ r> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 Y, l) Z0 A2 {% o0 B/ V% o7 e> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
7 B6 }" w/ A+ H>
> You now have two choices:
/ X9 N7 S& u' @* m  d7 |> 1. Delete
  q4 G+ u" P: j$ S& y> 2. Forward
>
9 t4 Q# L# H9 Y) ~, `  a* d> May your day, be a Shay Day.