Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
7 w; e$ {$ _2 Q; P* m' |) Q  U& j& Q> 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
$ W1 T1 e* S' d& j: L> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
, a4 m- ^3 g$ m  O> 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
3 J5 Q# Y, J) L5 @7 N' J> staff, he offered a question:
>
6 }& T- D, r( p8 [' s$ x> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
) v4 A1 b1 i- U9 X& [# ^4 U> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
2 K9 C* `3 b7 A3 s> natural order of things in my son?'
4 ]4 {5 X7 r0 v& n& ?; I6 S( x>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
# {4 m$ g9 A1 K7 y>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
; r" g  l/ T9 X% J; y8 ?7 W> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
  i* w8 m8 D( R5 P3 Y" m0 \> treat that child.'
>
* [4 r3 u( q. V0 B/ o> Then he told the following story:
9 M2 }: s( h. Y$ g1 }3 u1 I) Z/ _& Y>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
1 J& @$ K9 T3 J7 e" z. ]> 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
> 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.
" U  p6 C7 i% z>
# Q, ]% ^6 x" c> 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
. L; ?4 v4 f% m  k+ f# {# h> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
$ g% U8 k, f* D+ `  Y> 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
3 K( G- H, D( k; |4 w> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, N3 J8 G/ X3 y# b> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
/ X, S- g% v' {7 a( e3 A> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 f+ ~. H9 W# W/ O$ p& i" h6 c> 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
1 l/ i8 R6 L& m; A- ?8 }8 e> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
: ^/ v2 N3 J% _>
% q! V4 x% [3 M' Y  O8 N: E> 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
& w9 f! G6 I$ h  o' C& m> 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
  K  K* u! x# 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
; u4 Z. q$ f* X% `( S> right back to the pitcher.
>
2 d: G  @% U6 Z, S> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 ?! J" X% h$ j# N% L4 Z> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
$ K5 x1 t4 {7 C0 `& ~* ~> out and that would have been the end of the game.
& }+ z7 S( _6 ?* T& \>
3 r# L, w6 t, P" D) B> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* n, H8 a; V) @* S" B$ x7 n5 N; f5 z> 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
# a+ `* o" _: O$ I> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
8 P& I- z& h0 X2 l9 G>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ \: H; O9 l/ t$ [: r9 g3 N. d9 ~+ O> 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
> 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
9 A# |2 Q; V! N> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
% I) K, I7 A, m9 W- A& {! z; t> circled the bases toward home.
' f% h6 j9 \) p# a" q5 E>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
$ p2 x- T% q/ ?, n8 \1 f>
8 H" U) `( c' n: c; F> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
4 ~! K  t/ \- v>
" I1 m1 ^2 ?/ j8 v) u> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# x$ M9 f/ r, S: W" Z> 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
- |& B5 E; W7 H) ~( f  s/ F> game for his team.
>
$ o% u6 o: `" [# y8 o, F( ]> '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'.
+ [% [! ^  M/ W/ s>
6 H/ o8 p' A' Z4 t; L> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 |8 C/ z' O7 z$ n' \> 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!
>
' t+ x- o  c% L; H$ R% v0 c* }> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
& c. N/ k3 j% N/ w: o( E5 X- N> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
# \* N# N0 k* c3 a+ g! Q4 R2 `+ `! C> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
4 S4 ~) d- I) \> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
/ R' U0 V% I+ {; H> 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
1 `$ r" J# O4 p3 _) j% `& k> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
% V1 Q# I6 s' z. ~9 I) x> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
' y, p# a0 p0 g7 s> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
: h4 o" O) x1 F0 `( {! Q2 s' d> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
' H6 J: s, H2 ~( g* P; L* Y0 o>
8 ]7 Z: _4 B3 U* p" u> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
' y$ j& D* V' w+ b8 g>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.