Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 s% |7 }$ P& P> 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,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
/ u" @# I2 ^9 T  C* J# X> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
, C1 o$ `, `6 W4 H  ?3 o0 H> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
: H3 f2 S5 ^& q6 K5 f> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
2 z& T7 P. M) s1 c' O7 v" _4 c> The audience was stilled by the query.
2 t* g, R' G6 ^$ ]2 n$ x  f8 s>
+ n- C4 @, x5 ~# Y6 ^> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( \- |& c1 ?/ b( c8 }> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, W1 v0 P9 w  y" T7 h> treat that child.'
# \& r" E4 z0 a! ^5 k. e>
* b4 ]. j' f6 ^1 B( j+ `> Then he told the following story:
9 e7 S) B8 H& m1 i>
. L  s5 @0 o% u# \8 I> 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
> 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.
2 z$ F% }8 A- y# S2 k7 a>
: ~% ~# g+ V3 K2 T- W8 T: N% B> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
! F7 J  O0 y) K, e8 _0 h1 b. c> 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
> inning.'
2 {& [7 C1 w' L>
> 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
5 _( a' a0 u. b> 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
: l7 {+ e9 r. s! q> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
- W  A" S% t: ~/ h6 b' u> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
0 Z7 V4 S. c) Y: P5 c/ e% s> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
. A# J, S% C% t> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
+ n) Z- S) u, k5 Z/ s> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
" Q' z9 M  s& N( M> 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
2 c8 T0 c: \8 q* A. M- K0 W) j> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
/ I4 s# g3 m  W2 M% J> much less connect with the ball.
) L* r& ^# U% j2 D1 y> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 |. \5 c* r# v  u$ S> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
( b. B6 J% ~! J) t' {8 J+ S> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ F, `4 n* B/ F( o: L% a> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
3 r) C# a( Q# W: L# T6 `> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
1 i& I0 x3 W( R> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
& g! T) x: Q/ Y3 H$ ]>
> 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
$ J. \" N1 O. m- ~3 Q0 L" A- |> out and that would have been the end of the game.
3 d6 M3 ?! m3 u+ Y. z% k>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
0 _# K! K& h" J$ q> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
+ A% W+ J) t3 ]9 R> 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,
0 `# T1 B3 Z% ^* O" `& s4 t> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> 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
- c7 [2 u, `) q9 e> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
' l0 N3 y# v! s0 T  F% X> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
# P, }" Q. u) ]8 H* f4 O> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
' ?$ Y9 D! ^; x" K0 {, `" O) }  o> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
$ S1 Z$ R- z8 x5 U: ?- |1 [> circled the bases toward home.
5 R! x- e- v9 N( O>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
( ]; ]1 _4 J/ w& w0 X" j# \# @; `>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
9 Q: y! [  n' l9 f> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
; d1 s" b& ^  G! C8 l: d> Shay, run to third!'
* a& a8 [7 T+ i8 P# J>
; {( P" V# r5 G6 F% S> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
% n1 u+ ^3 q( N& L7 \& a6 _> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
+ h' I- ^. Y$ @0 S" _. b> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
6 r+ g+ R. A8 B! F; y- P, o" S" s>
# z; d+ _" h3 |* M: o- n> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) s) L( S" ?, E+ f  {/ B> 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!
5 N% @" V9 d1 t8 T5 T4 k5 A>
2 s) }4 L8 R& {+ P0 l4 |( c> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  R( {1 m; ~% f9 X> 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
7 ~+ h  x# P3 V, Q/ X, Y: q> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
. M7 }2 B2 r5 M2 |# |>
> 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
5 H: A- _% R4 o0 c  M> 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
> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
1 }0 Z1 R- m' h; z! g. n: \3 s> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
& M' |$ a6 `2 h9 B7 f) H>
- F1 b' I" ^9 m) Z3 x* r> You now have two choices:
( A2 r8 y5 J* H* J> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
0 L+ r# A" p( }# G- L$ E> May your day, be a Shay Day.