Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
: Z$ O, y5 d1 X% {9 n8 T1 K7 O: K> 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
; W/ n& g& J( a3 Y& p/ f> 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
3 f0 }9 p/ T( i1 P) q- a% }> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
5 |" P4 h0 t. B$ A5 T5 H- H1 [2 D/ B5 o> staff, he offered a question:
>
/ u6 v0 w4 b( p, F> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 i$ d% t( O' Y3 W* }> 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
2 N0 T  Y  ~& s, q& p2 Q, {> natural order of things in my son?'
>
! q) P1 C$ d& q+ {: W! I> The audience was stilled by the query.
! M3 K  r) Q( w4 g1 R3 O>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
8 n" o0 G% o. v& x; O> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
, O. d3 z+ x' l6 ~( g' o$ h> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
9 R: G) ^* [# [& W>
8 ?. l7 B1 u% M# T4 b> Then he told the following story:
>
  z9 E$ v$ n8 U$ o9 P> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
+ M+ h, v4 L9 ], d  `> 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
# a. |9 E. T9 F# ?# g> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
8 h  n7 |( J+ w+ e5 J# }) Z5 d> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
5 X- R- m9 F) ~+ ]% r, U> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
( F3 D+ L# R7 q) \>
4 D: h* x; C( I/ z% c5 _> 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
5 M  w/ b& V9 C  o> 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.'
8 Y# K) B$ q" Q5 t6 k$ N>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% a* ^. C" J6 U9 Y1 z> 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
: `7 p% u  c7 n; r& w> 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
$ D' ?4 A& |4 @- i& H  l" l> 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
> 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
> 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
6 U6 ~5 U# j* m# M> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
) u, ], S) ]5 |5 [' Z>
> 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
, x7 `& {/ R2 b. G* F* P8 h$ h5 m> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
' R8 j% @6 W& z7 g> 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
/ A4 b" J/ s) @' Q& k4 Q0 T% [$ l> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
! E% m! m/ h  P  G& ]% h6 r> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
4 P" l7 w5 X' H# C> wide-eyed and startled.
>
, c* X2 g; }& ~* D7 @> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 I8 D# `1 v' B- G6 N1 D> 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
/ M: n  Y; E( }0 g" P/ ~> 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
: X9 f3 p  s3 {7 ^, }3 B3 S> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
2 L# P9 d# r( y> 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
: `: I7 y9 V5 T> circled the bases toward home.
) _# _/ [; U$ e6 a0 H>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
% m( a- `$ L2 _$ B( K6 I> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 s. d8 k5 s# t& ]> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
$ G: F6 }6 T3 }6 L$ g- K" U$ g> Shay, run to third!'
- w3 ~4 a9 T# a& N>
  O2 ^" K& B, b/ f: v> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
/ F5 x" Z/ h: a8 c0 i( {> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
! g* ]" ?# O: t$ t2 D" p0 t> 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
) o& X: J( g% p8 F: h> 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# H4 G$ X8 N* r# f7 X3 l>
+ y2 k2 l3 ?% ~7 R4 }> 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
1 [: z6 W- T( E: C/ w> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
9 A% z& ^5 e9 y- S$ a7 C* G> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
4 |" e1 ^* N/ r! U>
> 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
: r+ h+ n; M+ Q6 ^6 }1 Q> '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
7 I9 i4 T: o9 v' v$ L' L4 V> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
9 ^- \" ?, K7 M: z0 N2 U> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
3 Q3 J- K( o3 e; N0 a, W> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
8 [4 K. q' m; P( `> bit colder in the process?
>
& o9 S& Q1 Q. T! V> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 s# U: ~  B; b# K& g7 y1 I" h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
" `$ [: c& b0 S. t' D8 w$ g> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
9 l0 ~0 p1 S3 m7 @. ~>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.