Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
* p# Q+ \1 B9 F5 x8 ~> 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
> same choice?
# p8 |- f" _" s9 |>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" D0 A  b0 E' D2 ?6 j> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
4 O, J! b4 \" w5 N- Z8 u/ l> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
2 m) v% |% s' u* s/ x> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
) @# m; B# @# m! i2 n4 s. e> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
! l! H) m: ?, U3 T7 _9 X# ~> natural order of things in my son?'
: F6 c7 |* V" K! Y- Z) s>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
2 B5 z' F1 y- F. n# L; Q) n>
, U3 @" ?1 p" }2 n; g1 g> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 f4 X5 Q0 Q7 R( G3 J0 y% g> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
& d! A( U! C. b( k: E> treat that child.'
) s- _, g; H% A  g! P  v+ `>
9 H* Z: R& d  ^1 I$ u> 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
1 }; v* Z" `0 E4 g- o> 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
& D' z: h( a. L' |* j% a> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
: c# D8 d& M( r$ \$ d. N> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- O/ g- {2 h+ {, ^9 S. k> 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
+ V: u( `& Q/ l( y2 E> inning.'
" i8 ]2 G5 r" @, J, R>
> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
9 Y3 h, T$ Q  Y/ c> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
% h' R% H7 R5 L. a: w7 E> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
/ x7 O( M4 U; {! }; W$ b> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
2 g: e. u: a' V/ V, b0 h' K> 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
9 ~* ?3 Q- i* n5 ?& U> next at bat.
>
, ]$ i& W  S4 j> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 t* U3 P1 ~1 m( ~4 c/ e> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
) c, W: |7 W* |$ i( ^> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
3 N$ b% q$ l5 R, [: ~' f1 T, e> 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
% o3 o6 G: P! }6 g% D: R; ?, J; q5 f> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
5 I7 S  t7 Z4 r4 X7 W: L> 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.
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4 `* Q. \0 n% C! L' {" j> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 y; N  r# f: m3 C& L$ l( x> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
. G8 G6 B0 `% c; u" E>
  Z6 V4 z0 e. r" u. q" Y4 l9 P" l> 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
> 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
  X7 v: _0 o& P! d% K# x  h> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ h( k. h$ U& A* N* K> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
! v& s! {5 s% C> 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
8 W% i( |* s& T# u* X> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
$ V" G4 i. @) w+ |# E4 D8 F>
' \" {( H1 H8 H7 `9 ^0 l' Y( _- Y> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
% L% F8 t: K0 p9 C> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
5 N% @' r' w9 C4 n> 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
9 u5 V1 h3 W/ H/ }> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
; O( w) A: X& B>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 f/ W. O& N' J> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 v! X; }$ y9 g" S9 d> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
0 M; o/ j% T! u) V! H% ^> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
1 N  m' `9 G. g  |>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* J  a, u3 n' {> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
: v, y8 X) |  s- W3 G. c; I% Q! n> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
" R& B( T( ~1 v" k1 a! v. n: _> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ s: R; ?8 k) b" q/ \/ j& z# T" c) \( i> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
; e- K/ C$ ~. t- Q2 S! t( y> 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
" o' o- B% |3 m4 H; h0 z> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
  q. j" j: {  e& Q- x9 l( ~> 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
> bit colder in the process?
' a. x1 l# E6 H) T, g+ b>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 G+ v1 c* d% D( f  g> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
: \1 I! C* O1 j  c& r# C> 1. Delete
% y, C: T! ]1 A8 |2 J. z> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.