Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
- c$ \; h: Y) G; o> 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?
5 U$ R; B7 ]1 ?1 h" T* x, P>
; L$ G, ?1 ]5 f. S9 g> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
6 G; i& Z( {, G> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
* j- G  `1 L: E! B2 x8 S> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
0 E( j* Z( G0 p6 T% y7 t% p: E> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
. I! E" J5 j4 u4 O> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
/ q( L' k" N# G1 T6 |) r> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ C1 r( l% T; a2 z/ {> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% K* r0 P5 B7 H6 K+ w/ }" e, e> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
3 T2 @- f( z" o* v0 p>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 ~( Y8 B; T3 ?8 R> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
- \* T2 f1 C8 {2 o" v> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
" D7 p5 u. D" F/ F! i> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
: @- b7 g+ C) }7 G> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
1 n0 |# k7 H/ A> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 S: }" ^$ Z$ I( i" x> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
3 u: N" I; A" ?( g: J8 s> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
3 ?' d9 \, L7 h/ n$ ^> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
- d2 K5 Y+ ^6 ?4 K3 O0 A! g> inning.'
>
> 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
* [8 h2 l7 H: z* S' n> 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
# g( O* T1 [& [> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
& \, s0 A5 m4 i; C' a> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
- o% T6 z1 C. ?- b8 F0 X> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
+ I  H$ t4 g( h7 v, N2 }0 i+ c" J> 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
5 N, C. s0 D5 T3 W. ~> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
: E5 G, H* h4 _>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 E1 _! _8 \+ |) X% E> 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
6 d; z% Q/ n9 [* }  c> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
* E- c2 Z# W" a" [( C1 ]4 Z, T> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
9 j$ w2 N6 T8 y2 ^; G; e7 W: X> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
1 ^, A! ^4 p9 h: ?7 G$ T( o) n/ b> right back to the pitcher.
" ?: n& u" Z/ ^4 u>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ f) N* j7 {1 O: Q. Q> 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.
+ B' i+ `& h( P>
, V/ f7 f# g2 i  z> 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
: y3 {7 P2 v9 ~* X" }; u0 i> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
, I. c- w# s% a0 ]. q> wide-eyed and startled.
; Q) _- q2 ^; [  N$ M>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
; c3 G) r) i4 N; h- A9 [6 x1 W> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
# ?) {- T7 U9 R% u0 j# j> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; V0 b; V  _1 k' o7 \> 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,
$ u3 p+ [" E. Z3 a5 H% ~$ I+ ~> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
9 h4 a/ l6 N1 t5 B: k>
; n; R! {; y0 I, w> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
' ]# e/ u8 R  ]7 }> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
* S  d1 I; J/ O6 Q3 s9 r' Z  J, G/ b> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
" }$ m" h. \! F, I+ x> game for his team.
$ T$ L! E$ }' h# J2 n! y/ [, j>
> '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'.
>
> 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
) H( ]) c4 M$ D: \0 S! e5 ?8 R> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
0 a) g6 N0 |+ a7 }' H9 v8 \>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  ]* h+ W: {& z8 z" B) D> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
" Q8 p# I% E' S1 D> 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.
; g4 B1 \9 m9 N/ ~2 ^* W1 j3 n>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, @( ]. {3 X3 H> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
, k+ l7 N: h  l> '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
" V9 E9 n, Z+ }' U8 h  O2 P0 v. G+ ?" w> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 f+ u$ ?$ Z& m5 w: w> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
! D) p8 R& J0 S: H2 B> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
7 A' Y' [1 d1 x, e> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
4 p, W. o% E. S: W> 2. Forward
* n6 n, E- M# @8 _( S  ?>
; j1 c& E+ @6 f5 h> May your day, be a Shay Day.