Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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3 I  q' J* M. g1 @1 T$ z> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  U1 n5 c* W, D5 K( G> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 L* l  e9 ?# o3 ?# ?' H> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
5 ]! P2 P' o9 U+ |> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
1 B2 H: B8 k4 V: z8 i> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
) S6 j+ N, o2 v> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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/ v# Y' Y$ b7 e9 v! \4 j> 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
) h/ G& n3 W* U0 {& \3 }( R/ W> 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
1 ?$ ?: Q% v4 T! g> 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 B  p% v& E8 S% B> 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
; G1 n* J, p$ d! s7 a+ 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
$ V3 E7 N0 d% b# h# p0 I( M> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
; D9 p) _2 l) I8 X# _3 ~- a> 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
% ~) X, I3 G7 `: o4 _> inning.'
>
9 ~( O3 l7 r$ S& P6 |3 S> 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
# V5 u8 T2 `# ~) G2 a1 U> 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
2 h; X* [0 F5 w> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
/ c/ x9 G" f/ b$ P- r> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
% |! F0 e( H  B> 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
; N  S1 C& [7 ]; n> 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
0 e. d, R' p! L5 C$ _' C> next at bat.
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; S6 A' T% {' o, T7 U3 W4 r: B' f> 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
% C) q! W/ U( C6 f5 G  G> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 U0 m% ]- `4 V3 D" {& z# p) ^5 A> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
* v1 U3 H# I8 f7 @" b/ f* r: x> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
" i$ Z0 ]# t, d- m) A$ A9 ^4 n> 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
> 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 ]/ W/ M7 X) x( j8 V: Y. [* o> 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
* w& m9 N2 N$ D8 B> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
# c+ S% g. ?& b$ C8 X$ X> 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
* B3 f# D2 Z  t. A: l' v" R; ~" E> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
. E+ O5 H8 @9 P" W1 q/ P4 c2 X> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
* k* _- e  S  R> 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
$ M; T3 \4 \+ N* a8 o0 G! F3 j> 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,
" j# E" I4 |: t7 D3 F. M5 f> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
$ g1 F5 H$ N  G' F  @& {! v> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
) r7 k. A; W9 c> circled the bases toward home.
>
5 g0 h( C4 X) }5 r> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
2 G; y! _+ ?  H> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- A( ^' U& e  b+ q) G; K, A+ ?> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
( [0 u( o  u8 `$ A4 e% t> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
4 L/ J3 V0 b+ ?& e> game for his team.
>
) J4 j( A. }6 M# j> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ ^6 M" X: B3 l> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
; v3 H. p9 ^( _; H) `: q, N> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
4 w- R- ]$ H4 G4 q: r# y9 i> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
- N9 {8 Q3 M, _4 x& W4 ?9 U> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
: x1 [% i$ g* P: e% ?! b8 w> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
& ?. S1 \/ S0 b> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
  l' A3 n! H9 u* I! N- b> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
  S. ?  {+ c8 b> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
( S; ]+ b/ a5 C# F% ]> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
/ Q9 _/ S" [; D2 n> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
- @1 n) m& h* t$ g> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 `0 Y- |% @5 O6 Z> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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3 }# h; }: ~5 ~7 e5 P5 }> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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& e& D4 G) p2 Y: x$ X8 D( n> May your day, be a Shay Day.