Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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  u) E! n8 R/ |% I; D* \> 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?
>
- Z* u2 K9 W$ E2 q5 p> 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
0 U3 z8 l$ e8 I> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
: k; R" C8 y' b+ d. V& Q, L3 K> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
. L! n! p) n" R9 }( U> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
2 n2 h  ]2 F; n1 X> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
* E- G, R$ R- Q4 N  x! w> The audience was stilled by the query.
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) C5 e* u4 R. y1 z3 w> 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
9 g0 a6 z* Z4 s: m% F9 l4 z" L> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
: r) e9 K& G$ Y. a0 D9 W" ?> 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.
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; \- R1 ?: o# t5 l7 s8 e> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
8 k8 g3 B6 F) {! f% ^! \# b> 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
0 n# ~7 {$ P7 O) a> inning.'
>
8 G* k, K6 @* j- t! m  j, J> 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
> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% I0 z5 r) g1 e> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
3 R- l- {2 ~' M! a, @> 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.
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> 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,
; f3 n* @4 n: M4 D4 j> 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
5 k, ~+ U9 [! Z) `> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
0 V! h& o: t/ g/ A2 L> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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.
>
9 R) W% j) P! y" W> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
0 R+ t. L( @6 t+ X: L3 X0 G> 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
( a8 L# y2 `- G; d> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
' S  i8 T5 B4 @9 Z! A> 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
  X5 D6 u2 L; f/ D> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
( A+ A5 z2 P* A* b. |2 b> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
- M+ ?1 \7 O0 m% G) a> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
- Q. G( z' F* f( v* ~. G> 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'
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" W% ]/ b; a. \* I( e0 M! N' W> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  Y- ^0 `2 \* ?4 Z> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
  d) ?& v4 M" v. z! W& g3 y  y> 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
7 w. P$ n/ D9 V/ F> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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4 Y5 x3 B& b9 m% O5 I: L0 ]* k- d, b> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 A" F5 I# w# ^3 S1 _5 m" t3 o> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
% [: ^- r' i6 [( b. G> into this world'.
>
, {, O" e8 Y% f' X0 a3 Y( G> 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
, J3 D0 a# _. T+ @0 \& {& m! }. ^* R> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
( q; {2 s$ z  f> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
1 Q# H' s, V& b1 I> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
* u# |1 c* ?* h- D> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
* ]0 p% N# S7 f: {> 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
3 }# e" T2 Y5 ?: `6 I6 @$ R, r' [( N> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
* F9 N9 b! g0 k9 a: H  |$ U( z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
# G7 B* z& w, X! `0 X% |( T$ A> 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
- m1 y  Z( M+ d* Y3 A) l> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" E1 e# p4 s0 s4 b$ p8 a1 o> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
  [& [) F  p' T5 b* d4 G) Y> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
' j! k! _. R1 t! i> May your day, be a Shay Day.