Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
, C1 a5 _0 [/ k: p' O' A> 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,
' A5 D- e" J6 @1 J- U" l: z2 s- o) K> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
& I( H- L) C( L) @, @! ]> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
0 T( m7 ]0 o" Z# w> staff, he offered a question:
>
* o& }  Y1 d0 r& u- [- T> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 B+ j  w  D9 H. s> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
4 L$ d0 q0 ]: j5 C>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 M6 v, i# B( _1 W> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 Q* ^* }" `) v, j2 D* ?4 W> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
5 H( r( P* a2 e9 x' l> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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# J% y  W3 M( u* }- P, f3 X> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
* B) c6 F1 h; t6 F$ Q* O> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
# R( q2 [, p$ f  J- d( U> 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,
5 e: Z& s: |: O& _> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ X! x5 [' n: g& c% V> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
1 Q0 k  d! z+ g$ u' K6 J% ~; X> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
* V+ o0 ?0 e" Y1 q% L6 d+ K> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
7 R* Q( X' A3 X) c>
0 ^5 _$ `, I9 J* v( {/ v; |7 i> 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
5 v/ u& ?( N- U% d> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
  z, h8 q2 D" B+ G; g7 E. n9 k: `; C  ]> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
0 x, e3 [  @: w, Z7 W: u) c> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
  r( |* m/ Y9 y> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. S1 J* p  `: n> 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
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
7 U' O, S" f- Y5 z6 r> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
4 I+ @8 A7 V8 H4 q% k; ^; g> 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.
- i2 d1 V9 m0 D1 b8 s, ^> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
6 t1 g/ C5 f: D$ I2 t0 K9 u>
( P( b* Z# p: v. Y0 v8 O; f> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
3 w3 Q$ k. ^! b% W1 N4 J: F>
3 i) D' x. a; E1 ~> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
- b% F) w" g" f2 n- \> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
' n. @4 k$ O6 l' H( w& V> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
, i4 a0 T* j6 N6 L: N> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
6 K! G5 h% c9 Y1 @$ F! C> wide-eyed and startled.
>
' p& z5 [. a! d. S6 i. j, |) N" c> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
' r0 @" D) p3 l; U> 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
! O5 L' A# O" R> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
8 ^7 s* B. B: A) R; |> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
8 R/ x9 m. }2 N" P6 a3 y  [> 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
; t4 K' e6 y) @/ t9 D7 ?# }> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
4 `/ z8 ?; `2 s( m" r> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
+ Z# |; g. T$ I7 ?3 P  R> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, u5 K$ J' \) l; u8 y> 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.
! U2 T: n& u( ?% s* e7 W- R>
, v$ `3 d# v/ Z( {: d! ^> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 G$ X1 o* X" n) f- A> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> 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
2 E6 s2 b  W5 L8 y5 F> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
, m: e: n- k" e, C( P, d> 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
1 i9 j7 }7 y1 W2 ^> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
0 b  Y% u! q) Q> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
+ k* m" ?, p! k( E& j% V>
; E; Y, |1 T4 V4 R/ x> 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
, t$ i/ ?2 \5 l! T8 W$ [6 @; d> 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
0 {3 j. Z- b+ H: T9 _0 {> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
: b' s7 o: M! l0 g, k> 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
$ ~, g0 |; ^7 K4 `/ ?> bit colder in the process?
>
  L" v4 {3 y) {' T> A wise man once said every society is judged by
4 v) O, G) K2 o/ x# z$ c> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
& ]# G# X7 S+ H! s$ x- u& U>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
) I% B4 \' b# X& P> May your day, be a Shay Day.