Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) [. k) V, d1 q+ `9 j> 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
8 y8 Z& @" H+ T$ ~; E. W8 F> 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
& L4 E* a0 k- W' l8 l1 R* e+ k- P; X> 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
7 B3 i4 P' m8 h> natural order of things in my son?'
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/ w3 `3 Z$ |$ p+ Q/ S> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
3 ^* p9 e% T% v8 h/ ?+ p# n5 \> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
# g0 @0 [- P1 T& ^8 @> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
5 w6 H0 p$ J0 b; |$ |. N4 O( r( A> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
9 R: U( I$ N8 V0 V9 ^> 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
4 y1 j9 }9 [: D> 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
% {! Q: @9 W0 b" e6 ?> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
4 U! G- @0 V+ b$ t% I: ^6 L1 n>
> 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
' U4 @8 X. ^4 l> 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
# L9 Z/ ~0 |# e; j( m$ }! x$ a2 K- h> inning.'
" b& ~2 u% t" \: \, i) a& h>
, i, L  l3 _! u> 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
8 F1 g9 o( m, Z> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
6 b) A4 i* T6 q) I7 u> 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
/ I2 G+ ^1 G# }> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
0 A* g; g8 z+ l( i1 O, v> 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
' l/ [* R& X3 I8 e  S> 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
5 Y( e: l5 o, s" ~1 p> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
) i* |  p% f3 ^0 F3 r$ e+ i, C> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
/ {' F" ]- M8 p" c; T# B8 k> much less connect with the ball.
" C( z$ }) Z. h1 T7 h  q2 d> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
% z; H8 i2 v) Q( T: Z- j' K> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
9 `1 I6 j* \, F  ?' S7 w> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
! X( ?- @7 n6 {; p! {2 M+ y' S> 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
% Q% B! [- E9 `> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 @- D" R( z3 Z' d2 d9 i$ i> 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.
; A5 f2 T  }7 j9 f>
> 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,
0 X/ g: z2 l" v$ Y* g$ S, I> wide-eyed and startled.
6 h. [$ I1 {% E& Z>
2 l) k. h( t# P+ g; N; a/ v- X> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
* g5 A; z/ n( E0 A> 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
% F$ _+ H, U& Q' ]6 m$ P& s> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
4 ]! k& ~7 e7 U6 ]> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
; f9 B; K- W! v  t3 m& K: k> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
9 [# {$ J3 b' R7 n> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
; j1 ?& E: k9 c1 N" g> circled the bases toward home.
>
/ J3 y9 ^( n1 `4 o+ F: r+ p> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
) }' G8 Z0 T# X>
1 Q2 ^; ^6 Q! `* m* L2 O7 j, m> 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!'
>
> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
) b' C) i4 p- t/ E>
> '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'.
>
> 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 ~3 h1 R  l7 D7 Z& c" ]> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
/ ^# M: R  @* G% U4 t>
/ `2 Z5 M3 X1 v" \* ~: f' r1 L3 W) f! P- ^> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
, Q# p# \4 a/ ?1 n* C% i> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
# v5 f; f& \4 s% U7 p> 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.
>
3 i# n7 w4 t. h6 s( Z) d8 s> 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
; [5 }$ L8 m- Y: }) N0 U  y, H> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
- y# r2 O- J2 u2 {7 l& I% K> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
, C7 C/ o) C: P! q% Y4 z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
5 V* r" h" z, g> 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?
% `4 _- M! @: e2 Y>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
: l5 j, @. \! Z) I0 Q0 L+ Y3 x' l# [> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
4 T' U* Q- t3 i6 x3 `) [; F>
" U/ F4 J& }* l  C4 \> You now have two choices:
; O" y5 T) I; r6 X4 v  f+ J6 e* S. s> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.