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
- D8 \! q. p( x1 S. N8 E# O> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ e0 _* M, `6 a( u$ u( H> 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
1 u; o2 v# X& X# h0 {> staff, he offered a question:
>
' J" E1 f' ?) P2 i7 m> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
9 i; t5 `. H+ x5 g4 {& V> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
9 W, s3 E' _6 ^1 @3 a8 H/ m> natural order of things in my son?'
, p3 }) F5 F; ^1 B>
4 x5 |% g5 P! t2 s2 F> The audience was stilled by the query.
/ ?2 B* F+ `2 [, `>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# T: |) Y  |2 \  Y) x- |> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
: s! n  U' R* [- ]' m; c>
> 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
  B7 w- R$ A" ?, d+ F> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
$ L6 \3 G% l  |' B" P% }( ~! m> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
8 \, A! M; L( z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
$ y' @6 d: i* n3 H6 q: f# u* ^>
& M: _0 ~8 q: A, Y  Y+ ]  j% r" B! \! z> 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
  K$ j  W/ L" j2 Y; p> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
) t7 l% d6 ]8 Z' s6 @8 c) V> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
3 c  a' ~3 h' H7 z+ P2 w* G8 U>
: S/ V0 z1 w( c  |4 `" c# m! C" E( e> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
! w9 P$ Y  Y* F( ]> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
1 `+ a% ]% m/ s3 R> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 J4 P4 [. S7 b- D> 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
9 O! I* v# R5 i+ r3 e  P> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
$ a  _( f. I$ H5 M" Y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
5 z! k# W# m: w) N4 S9 O& \, H) T> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
1 @* v1 j- a. s" I9 m) V> 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.
* g% s8 j* x1 u  a> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
# g$ O1 f- u; K: A: E8 d9 f& F0 m. [6 |> 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
+ S# Q' v5 u: b> right back to the pitcher.
+ ?" Y" v/ J& q3 G* }# s>
9 ]' K; h5 h! R% P9 v, B; c; H8 A7 I. y> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
7 R0 V: r% N( ]  V/ Z6 r( q& E: c> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
; H- c  h0 m7 ]. y& A4 j8 g> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
! P' a* Y9 p! A) h! t9 q7 u! r> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
) Q% m! K+ }5 d( _8 p> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
> 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
9 ^( |7 ~- ^- Z2 q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
% ]& @2 o/ Z! k* g8 ?; x* q& }>
8 g' p) W, W, E. z2 K4 [> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
1 q; q( [4 s' N4 e7 F> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
' p! S9 X% x' c$ n; J> Shay, run to third!'
>
* g  |- h( _0 d! a, P( Q2 K> 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
> 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
> into this world'.
>
( i. X1 G. b5 M: U: u> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) B, i: z  k; Z$ J> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
6 r% b$ y+ Z6 V' e4 p* ]> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
1 M5 R, z/ ^! L# ]- q2 t5 J>
; C0 a3 X( t/ g  @  O( j0 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
, x4 |. F, D+ u  [: n  z> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
% i3 T* R3 \3 Z) C( j$ j>
* ~, P4 N. O6 s9 `) P, _/ i  ?> 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
. I1 _% L$ b# p, q- I, y! E. D> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
1 f+ {) C( i9 y> 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
5 G/ k" n3 u6 o' G> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
9 f9 {1 m& \& S$ @> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ K6 a3 W, S6 z; h! c> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
5 t4 t" q5 c  U% `1 x' m> You now have two choices:
3 m) C, @( e% x" T/ j> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
3 `7 g2 n1 M5 f> May your day, be a Shay Day.