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
' J7 k1 i3 B+ s% H! V4 D> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 T: R1 `' K- K% H# A> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
5 Q) e- c: n1 \; X> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 O  l6 x. i$ k5 i! ]' q; v( e2 S0 F> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
4 I! {7 e* l; O> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* g5 i4 {% l2 n% j" s> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 s/ k* C; G# z0 r7 ~1 U  Y% Y> treat that child.'
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> 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
> 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
# W* w+ ~7 V! H3 O1 h) h" r> 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
5 ]/ k" Q3 ]" w% y+ Q% t> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
  {9 N5 s' j) N' N; @>
& |) K) t5 C4 s> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
8 m: V' \, n  N& w$ P% K> 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
> inning.'
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> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
, m" h& @1 i$ n. u- I  x7 C> 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
" d+ ~/ ^8 H. y( v> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
8 n7 U6 `* b* W4 o/ `: V4 p& n> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
4 B' P4 s  Q* T9 U2 z> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
0 Z8 i7 }; t. O0 W5 ?; t* R> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. j0 v( \% {4 r! d( E3 r2 E> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
, ]& u& C5 X6 m7 g# Y/ U; a/ }> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
# u  x$ t; d0 O! \> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ J0 n8 I2 i7 A& J> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
1 F. `- V; @% f; d> 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
: e! f; a5 y8 o7 R8 x> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
' `  q3 {+ {$ r0 H; Q> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
) r  R" w. z* {- y8 v4 E$ N, I- c> 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
% Y9 Y0 e; T# x% r- N* m> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
, z! b1 w% a0 g" W1 s$ a* P8 m> 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
2 F+ C  J+ @% Z# f  F* |> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
, ^& M* o; o4 ?+ I3 b! U> wide-eyed and startled.
>
% ~6 @" l+ }6 W  ]! G> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
3 H% T  W# `* I> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
2 z# J: r/ s1 p: U$ a0 G7 U( F> 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
% O3 P& k, t* J+ o7 e  P4 |% g- d> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
7 Z- G5 `0 X0 j" s0 b9 Z4 q/ j> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
  g. f6 B/ h( P! `> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
  R1 w0 r0 L- M# d> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
6 r5 \) v. S3 F% P  ^> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
4 G; f' ]+ K: y" \3 k1 I> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
1 o  r; h' r% h' s>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, V( V$ w: K! k+ \4 ~, Z! K> 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
5 {% R6 ~' f; I1 q8 {* q> game for his team.
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> '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'.
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- ~4 \% j6 |0 M7 D> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
# c( K, v5 h3 v6 @, J" I> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
: `( `& ]" |7 C( a6 l- I> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
8 o2 ^* w7 m4 }$ M9 G> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  K$ `4 I3 ]1 M* S) q3 F> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
7 t& {8 G# D: \- ]& }> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
3 b- i9 j7 \& ^3 ~6 ^( L& |> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
( X/ D. k% v3 e; v2 J> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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! X  }- b4 k# M& z$ K5 y" m4 O> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
  D$ J5 h" h6 `. l, T3 D> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
& i4 F+ H& p# w: k' z$ ?5 ^- w> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
( d8 c- P* h- ]4 J' Y3 j6 i> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
1 Y0 K  A" _, H9 w! }$ H% x  |! m, q> bit colder in the process?
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* n; h6 x& N, w> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 Z- B& @: I! P( S  d. j1 [> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.