Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
* H% Q" F! Q% J>
> 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
% R, T! C% E, V> same choice?
' K. u) h2 b3 a+ t  S* Y; w" |>
> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
8 M7 `2 x/ g& k6 F8 x8 _! ~0 N> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
2 t. i7 P7 w# s. b4 ^> 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
6 b; v$ B; o9 T1 L& q> natural order of things in my son?'
/ s& {  y2 C1 _4 M: s>
# E8 _" g$ k3 [% ^7 z' R6 j- Q> The audience was stilled by the query.
9 t  y& r6 ?; _3 j+ m  [% v>
! ~! t, w; i( H) C; W# b7 w& r; D> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
- z! Y0 E! X; X2 E# ?% _, ]# M* Y4 n> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
0 L6 z& R1 L; ~7 `( C> treat that child.'
$ E" U5 q$ O3 H. o>
> Then he told the following story:
6 W) @; A% x% p) V>
> 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
9 R- |/ y$ H  T2 T2 Z> 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
4 }/ c/ J$ \$ K. h> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
5 f* J& R/ @3 f1 V4 Z>
8 I4 c6 v9 p9 o& c2 P> 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
* H7 ~. y1 V% f( H/ o2 N8 i- J4 E> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
& P2 }1 C  @; S, d# K* @+ s> inning.'
9 t: I% f5 x3 a# V9 F& P6 d. @>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
/ _! S  o: a9 `- j' w> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
1 R$ W$ ~$ o& _8 w( ^% }& F. H> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
6 k; a! o4 K4 P1 b( }> 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
/ E% S& D: @8 G: b9 ~: 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
> 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
4 j8 [7 e  ~0 C( I0 {> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
7 O# {- w$ @/ l6 Z+ C  Z>
> 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.
8 k0 S& K: |0 r6 I, x* G> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ k3 V( k: a% p  R1 d> 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
) Q) j8 @: Q6 k& c, H> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
4 [7 r7 q) k( k( Q# g> 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.
% h/ O) `- F& ^" m% e>
6 `& }# ]1 }0 A- l9 ?> 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.
>
> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
8 C7 j& d5 s) P2 b5 y3 f> wide-eyed and startled.
>
8 ~: [0 B  P( K" W> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
> 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,
- V6 m9 K# h% P* S, H/ C> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
* L  }. R5 v" q% E  c# P$ C4 i> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
  R4 h0 @7 W" p$ Q6 Q2 Z> circled the bases toward home.
>
+ k! @) Z- U1 d/ l( c& E( S2 h> 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!
0 x* \5 ~8 J* b( @7 b> Shay, run to third!'
) F( d) z/ p3 E>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 P: J& j! E! c6 c& B, p# J5 [> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
' ?, r" P6 t0 J. E! `, `; v( T> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
) E) p; m( o. h# d: G! K> game for his team.
( U1 R: _6 {/ p% b* |>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 z" z) s+ x. Z# x$ ~> '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
( \7 v' m2 O3 ^  E1 S2 N% c> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
2 l2 K$ J3 G$ S5 m4 z" Y& h>
> 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
' y; F/ f: K9 i0 w8 ?" ^> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
& K2 P: f- e# i$ p4 L. a5 G>
> 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
4 y; E* y/ B% k( `( P$ |> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
9 ?/ r% W& n% X" U" Y5 U  |> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
/ B  K# P. T' \3 w> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
8 W" f8 p  Z. R" k6 M3 k8 q0 `- c; ~> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
" _! y, E( I+ u; x' ?2 S  T% Y>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 m  ?! `# Z1 ^$ l7 j* C$ G> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
( `  f+ r8 t2 }5 C- r0 H! a>
1 I  m! U) C, q2 ?6 p> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
  N1 Q$ Y; ?8 z1 c* W5 o" l> 2. Forward
8 O9 B+ o) W9 }6 s>
  u# Q, O, T9 k3 t7 u3 R+ ~0 h# W> May your day, be a Shay Day.