Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
) b  S- r% j9 h# U% J  f# {> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 R& d& l: ]1 {0 F7 L' J1 H> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
8 f' O% v% [% v2 R/ }: r>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
8 \4 n$ B! k" [5 R> 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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
" u" n* `9 c& N5 t9 ^- b- m/ k> 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?'
>
+ ?; W# x' ^' `" C8 Z9 ]> The audience was stilled by the query.
; ~6 F! [  B7 V: O0 Z( W3 A>
+ p: }+ q' e6 S" W$ L/ Z> 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
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 {. U7 o7 [3 W. A0 c> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
6 r6 r9 `" T" H( I$ ~* z3 A8 r) `> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
. U' J5 A5 d  S) m; f8 f' q! M1 x> 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
3 V$ D, O% M; {4 G. P" a> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
9 X/ U- B( s  h" I& z2 Z0 E> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
0 Y* y6 ^, G& }& L8 l# B> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
- l; x5 R2 [' |$ `, x( y$ \  k> inning.'
>
> 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
. O& X% a! A' p. [> 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
> 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
' |6 k( N; j) ~1 e6 b4 \; F> 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
8 W5 {4 C3 f4 E> 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
* b1 g2 d2 w' c6 H; s/ `+ V> 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.
>
> 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
- y- ]  K+ }7 v" }/ X. ~  T> 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
, _% T$ @8 e; [8 {. i' N3 L1 e> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
: K" Z+ g' V* w! s> wide-eyed and startled.
4 R6 t6 V/ n2 x) J1 Y>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
6 G8 [- u+ B) O! r3 K6 x> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) A" ^, ?" E! w0 F. Q2 R> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
& j( {1 k' s, a( G5 C6 g7 C> 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
; @% U+ u& C9 d3 k4 j> 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
5 l+ w$ D  v# Z) w> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
) B4 A" q% S  Z( K, Q( s, |* K9 Y> circled the bases toward home.
1 s: S( _% l0 `, x8 h; k( q>
; d) ?8 B5 m. O0 Q9 d, I$ J> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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4 g% ]/ e* ]% Z, I/ B$ m# a> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( ^" k& e& O& a- w> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
& N! @: U9 R9 [3 R> Shay, run to third!'
2 ?2 w3 H5 T& f>
> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
9 }: t$ B( l0 h$ f>
( U- u: i% k& W8 _! R/ {> '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'.
# N4 i+ x0 R3 _! z>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
. e4 H$ n6 W4 N2 F$ M> 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!
>
# j; J1 p. i$ @) b  h> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
: A+ r0 g1 F2 q* R$ s5 h! U> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
. }4 x! p  b* c, I> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
% K+ M8 |8 J4 [: q0 ?> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
' e+ @1 ]0 N. R. E3 b8 w/ f> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
( z! |) a% i1 u: T" ^8 r: N- `> 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
> 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
) V# B; N# }( b1 ?" n2 Q4 b3 i5 ?: Q> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 d& T' o5 k  k) W7 r, y3 ?8 c> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
* `8 c& z2 F5 t, @7 g6 M* w; L>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
( D4 o2 ^) b$ {5 l) w( Y>
: s" I  R5 L: l; ?/ m3 p> May your day, be a Shay Day.