Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
- h5 P+ I: U: N, q& V2 a> 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 C0 v5 ]7 ?. R- p& l# E- V> 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:
( f$ E+ M/ v4 ]# F2 s>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 g! V+ c8 u0 {. j  S> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
2 K( W4 ?$ ^9 H8 t0 m6 N> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
- y' ?  X, C$ s  h# i* r3 C>
0 u0 t5 A7 q" A4 p5 M# B> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
, s8 l# [  _* w# H. G3 R> 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.'
>
$ q9 A4 g$ X5 e( u1 j9 u: }> Then he told the following story:
>
! n" p. @7 a$ ?' T' r: j* S5 |> 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
: Q2 z% i! L3 c1 m9 G4 m% ?$ A> 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
1 ]; O9 Y  z0 p: [! r7 b> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
4 d4 ]5 d# y3 s1 s# C0 [: T6 e>
> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 P8 U; k4 A7 s% s* G% N> 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
8 I. g$ d2 w% H( N> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 P! W- ~% v+ F> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 O* B; x, h/ W  r% U> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
3 v* X3 K/ }0 Z( G3 f: T& q" X" X> next at bat.
8 Y6 A! R. u0 h4 q8 o* z" J>
& Z3 w1 x5 {8 n  W! U> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
7 A/ T, f7 B% k9 R& r> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
; ]3 @$ g# U% y0 t> 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
. i& D/ G" X  Z. r6 @> 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
" Y/ u# P: a3 ~: c6 S> 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
, `2 B; A# h( n5 i' k> right back to the pitcher.
$ X5 l) F  _  M4 R>
0 o: Q$ Q# p+ g- w0 F> 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* R6 U# p  ?' _7 P. F> out and that would have been the end of the game.
; K, r4 Q- a2 ~* f>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
/ P1 A( k! \" \> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
- p# Q0 |% D7 T9 D& i' o5 {% |> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
# z6 @: G* q5 d3 K( l2 ?' v- |. n> 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
5 y# m8 ]( k0 e' ~: u8 n1 r> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
0 a0 i. W4 ~* T3 i> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
) n/ [8 ^9 X  g% V9 ^7 t& x> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
. {! A0 \; ~0 s: o> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
8 w+ P) O& a, I4 J* J2 O0 u2 c/ r> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" M2 W$ o$ R8 x3 _4 I/ N0 \7 N! m> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
' L2 p8 v. Q0 \2 t6 K6 H> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  T0 e! w* h8 B2 s# Z! S> game for his team.
9 ?! _+ V1 t  J>
- C# D$ y+ L1 v2 S9 r7 A> '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
) }% l7 h* h5 c7 c" ]> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
  H- H  F8 R* ^2 \6 g>
/ k! ?& }9 n8 x8 ^6 _; J* 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
0 N0 [& C4 X4 g- u( s8 H> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
0 n7 ~$ ~9 ]# A" Y' U1 n. _8 _. B> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
/ C1 F- C8 A) }>
% B; K, E* x6 ^/ o> 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
4 \  m# P& {9 S7 y# h> '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
6 V' w- s: S* Q8 j5 ^& ]> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
) M9 Y% e6 y5 ^0 q> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
; m; K( ?  o- ^  z6 X$ q8 P> bit colder in the process?
0 o$ @* Z2 S' ?: ~) b7 E>
! S. L/ `; l3 R$ m! w- w> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
6 P( y' C# b2 @8 h/ E>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
  S( @9 y8 o* L# |( c. f/ a>
# ?4 b( m- j& |( B> May your day, be a Shay Day.