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
> same choice?
0 B7 |8 _# m+ B1 @0 N& D>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
7 U5 j9 E6 y4 v/ ~4 v& o> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
" t- P# [' v' O; z3 _- R> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
% n! k# W, t4 h, p> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
/ C% `* R" ?6 u: x4 L8 u> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
& B0 p4 u% [8 g& l5 `' M> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
, v  K& T, K4 U  k6 r" C. h4 Y# N' ?> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
2 M8 q$ I  y' g9 |2 \6 F# h> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
6 O4 b) X3 T" |' R- s% p> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
! X* o2 V! i% p+ H" f! a> 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
3 C7 Z9 Z, e6 W8 l> 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
( h7 a3 \3 f+ d# I% `9 j> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# K2 Q) }" ^9 _> 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
* E& A" A( b* x& C* u3 l> inning.'
>
! a. a/ \6 i, o3 t' A> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 E5 N; \# K* U* x! }0 X> 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
6 d5 ~" J0 e: u" X, `+ B; Q9 w! ]> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
- x1 I( t' s; O4 H6 M% r> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
( A- ~6 X( \: h- @4 J> 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
) C1 V" f# X  ?  ?9 v7 D> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> 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
> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
7 a$ d1 i4 Y1 x: ^! m5 I> right back to the pitcher.
>
* D% a" ?: c$ ?! @* 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
/ S' v- O9 w+ x) `6 q4 U> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
# D, L; \3 K; C' C- K9 j> 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
$ _' o2 Y: L2 i# T( Y> 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,
1 n: q: v( A. z( P9 E7 T> wide-eyed and startled.
>
- s0 K! b) I5 X) f# ], s0 u> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 H, ^5 W% O2 E; T% Z> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% `4 L6 ~3 q& y1 F> 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
! {/ G! n' j3 K4 g) d/ ~# ~2 e2 T> 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
4 G3 k- [) Y* v) }' W4 N! P* ]> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
! F4 [- P4 y9 G1 w2 }) f5 e>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
9 r  F4 m' w7 g% q> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
& F: u8 a7 j0 f8 ?> 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
7 s, [  ^9 c9 h# F> game for his team.
>
5 c, q1 V) m3 {  h" l- q. q> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ p' r- V7 `; C> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
% t8 ?- Q; p. d+ j9 W4 F) d> 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!
$ O4 N5 {) l5 Y9 A, V$ A& A>
& M! Q% v% A5 i: B4 ~* Z4 `> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
& T9 V5 u4 i+ v; U8 c> 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
' f' K7 V5 K. Z3 u# Y7 F# o9 ]> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
; f0 S  O* c1 Y& T> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
: N9 B( K! K) i  ]> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
4 _0 h8 s8 o; j$ r5 q3 _7 u; u> 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
6 i2 R& ^# D5 W$ R$ ^+ y> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
- a: h) N* o9 j2 [9 K* e> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
0 h1 S0 O8 ^) @, S2 `> bit colder in the process?
$ N$ I% o$ A. O; Z8 h' ~>
5 U4 u2 R8 _. Y4 [/ D2 |& `> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
: ~8 H2 j/ X& I& E- P, }% `) `> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
" `. h4 [2 q9 p$ a+ E. M/ H' M/ p" c> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.