Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ C( J  z) l' u; }3 c# `! w6 Y- Z' z> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
3 H$ Q! V, S4 Z4 h> staff, he offered a question:
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/ h9 ]  a& i" i9 @1 d8 P> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
" y, k% ^) _+ L% J. w; V+ Z: O" [# y8 h> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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; N$ h& q& {. ?6 ^3 }) C> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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
; ?5 T! g# E2 M3 \8 S& i& t/ w> treat that child.'
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3 e! t5 A/ S# k% _8 j6 m. d% U> Then he told the following story:
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% Z" t9 C/ P3 z> 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
+ X- G' @6 v# b; i. d7 u> 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
5 V/ S  U/ \7 [" S, s, R' B1 R> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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& ^2 E7 J  a- |> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 R! V/ ~7 K1 U2 |9 ?> 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
- X, N; o3 D1 f# Q7 l+ j. G> inning.'
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> 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
> 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 d( A6 o( o3 D2 w> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
+ Z) l. t/ x! z- o6 S> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
, ?* v8 R! A# ]1 o  Q' d0 \> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
6 `" O2 [( W& y' T( E> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
+ C; W/ p" t) p' ^' ~' n! ~" e> 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
% l' W& \1 M8 p$ x2 O4 i> 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
: G" e: [$ F. s9 A2 A> 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
4 ^% J$ [9 a' H5 V3 g- w> 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
3 K2 C; P) G, d> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
' q: G5 w' Y" L% A& D9 V> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
' p+ K% x- i" L" m. Y> 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
* _! R) ]) a( u! }7 \: F+ S> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
2 d8 e9 c1 f" ]! }> 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.
>
% I  V& K& \3 j> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
9 M& \/ N- P3 b( i) t7 T' E> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
+ d. k4 }( t! v% ~9 w0 j> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
: k! ^6 i* ?0 V* b> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
9 s: z8 Z9 q, G3 f9 Q> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
1 p; O/ c% C5 d4 P4 e> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
" J* _9 L% E% ^> 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
* d  P1 L& [; B, e3 {> circled the bases toward home.
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3 d  g$ J" F) z! X> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> 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!'
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0 U, W& {; {- d4 ^6 i> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
! Z1 B# ~) i4 C( h* _3 C> 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
8 t9 q1 ^/ ~' s2 p. O> game for his team.
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1 K+ m% T7 g! X& b! Y> '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'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ B( J- m9 d3 t5 C> 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!
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5 y5 A( j  X& D; x# I. a$ M> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* {2 Z2 E6 K: L" F> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
* E8 V4 V7 D4 e5 P4 ~& w> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
  o1 d5 G5 L& B# s" ^5 T> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
% k1 {! o2 w& x. q> 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
> 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
# H9 d, w# n$ H) z% H/ H> 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
. j6 M- r7 L1 G( D# P8 _+ b> bit colder in the process?
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$ t" [+ Y# M9 [& r> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 k7 C) x6 v1 W1 s* [> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
: H9 O/ R5 M1 O+ L7 l( y. Z3 H1 K> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
0 J: e5 a3 T- j4 o> 2. Forward
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" o- G$ D, ]. x) x& R0 m5 I> May your day, be a Shay Day.