Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
6 o6 z* b4 [' d% }7 b/ k> 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,
4 ?9 [- ^% W- A0 Y. L2 R2 ^> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
3 H0 b# R+ O; {9 H> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
% m$ s/ F7 C* Y" S> staff, he offered a question:
>
  T6 h/ J: v) W: `0 W> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
  `8 ]7 C2 m4 V> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
& F8 i! n7 Y0 M- j: ?* P! l" x> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
; f+ }: A1 ]0 H5 i5 j5 ~3 t> natural order of things in my son?'
  r, G' @2 @) c# p1 o5 `>
% o/ U0 x* X- k1 x9 x1 C& Q8 e> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
, _4 D* K4 X5 C6 n> 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.'
>
5 B' i! i( l& y$ o+ s2 h7 q> Then he told the following story:
6 i( d6 Y+ f1 L# ^1 F* Z/ B* N9 q7 q>
: y; Z/ {6 u3 [% l  {> 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
2 X  r* R( c0 y0 S& R" d> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
2 r9 S+ _1 H8 Z> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
  U3 F! l4 z( j0 j>
: I, f) U/ q# p  c2 W8 G+ d> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 t' F6 J+ A2 k: L4 J, f' }> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
8 f$ Q( W. p2 \9 P3 R" @" l% s> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
( r! k0 s6 ^) ?* T& o> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
& Z6 R: ^0 X" F+ B- C; C3 [: M> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
  {* G/ o0 S' p1 G4 d' Y5 _> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
) e$ U3 I/ S/ }' O- e> 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
# K7 N% s' g- ]6 V> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
; \' b3 K7 j( y9 R( }+ {/ F! ?> next at bat.
; F* V4 \+ q/ p: B& x, y! Y>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
- s4 ?! k# n# I6 a" |> 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.
/ p7 y9 h" p: m3 a6 r> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: T, F- ]: o5 D8 T- y+ y; e- ^) B! K: N> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
. M. o8 s( {- Q7 c> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% x2 \7 l# f. @0 O( x> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
* N: u& b& J! Y* W7 g> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
' \  b% p& y' i: }0 J> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
5 u$ R& m3 l# N# J1 ~- T; K5 y>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
2 `( Y" |9 A/ B) f+ X> 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.
+ f" n0 x( ?6 V. _  e+ P, H>
6 W0 Y6 B. @- Y% A# R5 h> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
! M3 o/ Q' i4 v6 k0 b% H* G> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
; P! _. {, V5 k, j+ n6 c- 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
3 y; ]2 Z, `5 ?3 u2 K/ a>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
$ z& K" h8 H* p, ?! S# d: T> 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
' `+ t- y! H: I/ T. T( d> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
' D2 J8 ~4 E8 j. j( o, U; Z: M> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
9 @1 T* d! `- E8 D4 [' a> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
$ |* S" @' t5 ]0 j> circled the bases toward home.
>
* C: y4 G+ C2 [9 c; p> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
) b4 \8 [4 ?3 F8 Q3 G: L% F>
4 M& Z- h6 k+ l0 p; ^6 j5 W! J> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> 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
( `5 ^: B' l6 X, K% r> 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.
>
( A: g. S) |. _> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
: Q( H9 h1 ]$ W. ], O$ k+ F% G1 n> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
( L: r$ k7 v# q) Y$ C7 A> into this world'.
>
+ W9 d7 I; P4 K' p> 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!
>
! ?% c7 {9 u' R> 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.
>
$ ?, z" S& y3 w5 S0 ?$ V3 |" [" A" R> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
7 b: z. Y! V3 p> 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
6 T4 q; c/ E# y5 b> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
  J; s+ z! g: {& m) O8 S+ P> 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
> bit colder in the process?
# V) b2 ~/ V6 f- w* G" P, W>
& y9 Z7 O# W4 q$ e, H0 T> A wise man once said every society is judged by
/ Y0 n# v# s7 D0 w7 J; k( f- M> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
7 ?! ~) p6 N* ^$ V) a# h>
$ k# Q* z% L2 U! g% m8 |8 |+ U> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
2 |8 p) v2 }* C4 Q) W3 Z> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.