Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
) O+ \  }( R  I1 b& W* Q: P> 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
2 ~: w9 U1 k  Q  H5 A' ^  C8 S> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
) T$ |6 L( m1 A! \$ g> 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:
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+ u; T% v& l2 c" \5 x> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 D7 i" [$ K5 O' D9 B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
' O1 Y+ n$ D( u; `> natural order of things in my son?'
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4 J5 p) a( [$ o> The audience was stilled by the query.
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, U" L. ?+ K' k1 L" m, J+ A; K> 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
* |* i4 l' H3 o' j> treat that child.'
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! C2 l. }0 o8 O/ T2 T& ^. ^% l> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
1 L' H4 C/ u6 k, B, J' {' y" C> 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.
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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
7 n9 f/ _8 w$ g% b1 M- x; [> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
. P6 v5 Q0 {6 W: ^+ S8 B3 m> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
& e5 L2 G8 n. M8 W4 I> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
  c# R& l0 O  U> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
) W. t9 ]; Q; I# x> 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
: J, H) b, q: R; k! L> 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
2 Y6 _$ y, t& z. m> 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
7 D- U5 f+ s6 A) Q9 {6 M& d8 _> 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
3 {1 p" U1 ?2 Q) P> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
( N8 N$ |0 f6 K- L" [& d> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
$ N9 x! c, d. `1 F) h/ g> much less connect with the ball.
3 r8 l! c% ^  c6 u# y> 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
2 i5 B1 Z' R  A& n% X0 D6 J2 o3 E> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
& V$ e% \+ G. t" Y> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
7 m* h) J: e2 n6 @> 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
; }4 Q; w9 r" N) ]: Y+ M> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
1 P6 r- C: O+ _> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
0 E8 ?' [4 y. Q8 @4 T- V7 B) Z> 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
2 z7 o- ^2 @: y1 l> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
0 [3 I: D* r5 w1 |  H, G> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
4 }7 k7 j. ]$ l, e; |- r> 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
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) P% Y1 W# B1 |> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
& J3 r+ f: i; M  o" R- ?> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
  b/ s: }2 e' x> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
: O! H9 [& y) p% b9 l6 C5 J0 g> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
1 n- f2 i- L, i! z4 f> 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
3 h, J, R" h+ b( N+ F: V# \  [> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
4 u5 W9 U2 f; n& @> 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
5 l5 e% ?8 \  F2 }% o> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
, U1 v: l  D" ~% Q> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> '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
3 Q( C% q6 J" E; s( z" y9 i2 v0 O> into this world'.
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> 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 s% g, J& I3 j> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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9 R! ?) g# Y: g" h+ }> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
1 q4 G. p9 U+ Z8 z/ j/ A> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
. w0 j. c1 S8 X> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
2 U. W# }/ w: `. r> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
, E- M, M0 ?' `6 Y: w( C/ |> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
0 C$ s  t. s3 q. M2 t  }> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
: ]9 W+ k( Q7 \' C  q2 ]* Q> 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
7 ^% U7 @3 T1 L, n> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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  x( ~+ M1 @0 {7 H" N> You now have two choices:
, j) }! Y; s3 q> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.