Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
# ~" q9 T1 X/ U+ B. G>
: `, T. ~$ ~0 b2 ]> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ c9 I7 R4 p9 V* Y, X( \> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
0 ^3 s5 U: Y4 J& Z>
' g% ^( _: m- M> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
> 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
+ n3 z. q0 r- r2 N  Q1 x> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 L9 I1 T1 z9 q1 L2 |> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
; r& P  T8 Y4 d+ D! _>
  _/ v" @$ e& i' ]  s# v> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
. h  _8 W4 |" S6 O> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
! h9 Q! F, h0 K, i0 C1 z, I> treat that child.'
>
0 _/ m, I' _9 e  d, E6 H> Then he told the following story:
7 q. o) q, [. ]* j: q$ k0 t>
> 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,
6 o) j$ y0 W$ d# x> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ @/ Z- Y0 B0 P( T, p6 Y, m> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
. @2 |+ d6 W/ @) S6 ?# u> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
3 e7 W" L* u/ k! B3 t% h> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
/ }6 z& F( I6 t& R7 }> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
% W4 d8 T( x, S# D4 ^> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 O4 ^8 p( H4 T5 y& r> inning.'
>
5 X. D, S7 v3 W. b- T& w> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
1 U" a+ ~- v1 O& L$ _> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
* n" k; I9 R0 M( C6 t' H* C> 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
9 X" z' A0 F; U( T  U0 E# p> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
" F- O- L( s; E. ^5 L, T% \3 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
) j: H& x0 U4 t5 x8 s- ]> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
- O, ?- z- \1 w7 n9 E3 w3 s( u> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
3 v9 h- Z/ _& c4 M3 e% y2 l> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
2 L9 ^: J0 @. |6 Z4 O* }7 v> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
. m6 L" q% f" j/ z> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, c% Z8 D- h: w3 D: h8 M> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
8 @1 Z9 _5 s2 _0 f0 f0 ?> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
4 m: ]/ L1 `: N! I. l> 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.
0 u9 }4 F5 U8 a0 u8 P: O> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
9 Q1 W; _* n! J3 G: i+ v% h>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
$ H1 C( m) V& {4 V> 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.
6 Q5 V% u# N" j9 j1 u4 h( K# r>
" }( ?7 p7 K; ^1 E  V> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
- y4 f) ?1 y3 K- o4 q  o6 Q> 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
# `1 h( s5 Z3 [> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
; \6 E( |* M' u" L> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
+ z/ S/ E. I  q" s$ R> 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
" k: A+ ~! g% {/ ~, j2 k> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
+ L% T9 w, y' s  A! ^> circled the bases toward home.
>
& g, L7 h8 n" t! o: P* V5 j> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
$ s. r. u$ _. @' r& q/ v> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 S6 B5 C0 S& M6 u> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
8 t9 [3 l0 H1 n6 B3 G+ P0 I! Y  ^  t>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" z5 [. P) A  y. }> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
  l7 p3 g0 f7 z7 w0 U> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
, {( M2 o* |, {  \& m! a- Y>
> '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'.
% f8 {# U/ F9 w8 o; c9 n>
7 e1 q9 d/ ?+ O- _( X+ }3 I> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 H- p- N+ M; f: D( p8 @0 M> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
2 _9 l( h* o3 N4 n6 x2 b. m) m- w> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
8 z* v  U/ ]4 F$ l. t$ c> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
! O* z7 R1 j3 H" r> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
8 U, K1 W1 ~5 X8 z* O% J> 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
' n# g6 c, K) u+ _( v- ?) c> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; R, {* S% N- n2 y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.