Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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?
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9 z: Z( L3 X6 o: g> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" v# Q7 B# y4 L( [> 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
1 ~/ |" R; N( q( h> staff, he offered a question:
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& x9 ]9 i4 _( r7 H8 o, x> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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2 x8 b4 z" C' u1 t% Y+ W> The audience was stilled by the query.
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5 O0 G" d% @& J* m2 s> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
0 o7 I# _, Q& Z> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
3 V1 D# {/ F/ r. R# T> treat that child.'
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+ g- b6 H7 e# v> Then he told the following story:
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8 E) h7 U+ K) d: E> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 `2 [3 w) h" N* I4 G6 z" c& @> 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.
>
> 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
& @" l4 i9 j2 k" ?3 K2 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
  k8 h3 S0 q$ J9 ^4 T9 @% f' ]> inning.'
>
> 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
* [3 S5 h' K6 ?- a. G1 Z> 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
( j. A" _( z! u> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
7 \$ Q1 G. ~( g0 \  v' D% ~> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
6 \" V1 |, D( h> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
  k0 t" L# b9 e> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
. ~5 S, C8 ^. X* T$ }/ b> 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.
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* M" P3 t: ^* ?$ \5 V> 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
7 I2 D, V* f0 {8 w> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
) L- S. e7 t4 `# C, Z3 i  R( H> much less connect with the ball.
. n6 G' T/ u) q> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 x7 l! X8 u! d% {> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
* k, m8 ?. @  d, X; s3 R, Y> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
1 i# P  g% [( X* o/ ?9 D1 v$ W> 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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* r& M1 _: y, d# C8 \! B# i> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
1 H5 [# {4 G% o  }> 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.
>
& F' r6 K. R; X  D' L$ e. \> 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
% r8 J5 Y/ [) T( j) X3 Z6 F; k> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
, {2 o* w2 q5 z) `> wide-eyed and startled.
>
" ~. D" W: H* m8 M# ^' o( g> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
% z4 s8 n8 K; Z# ~/ n" I- D; `> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
( G7 Z3 c( K# j3 L4 n; S> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
5 \" _* ]2 P1 w" e5 a: y1 h- F  h> 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,
, K0 d! F6 i8 r' i2 `0 r8 h> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
5 k  q' _7 |0 y+ u2 U> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
4 c& U4 m; u% @' [$ C4 \/ L6 I2 }6 v> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
& f6 G5 A) u- ^9 H> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
' Q9 D* x' G, M: S> 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
9 \* R7 H' R4 t, V$ z> game for his team.
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2 y# z1 a+ {/ w6 y5 g' y! c> '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
* p' s3 b5 t: R$ u- h: |> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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! \% [! D1 L7 X( r> 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
  F9 b5 p2 n! L' O! g! l> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
: q: ]% s" |- D6 f& b> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
4 r* ^3 l' ~4 @: q& n8 ]> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
/ V: j( b( }* p7 p+ J> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
6 ]$ ^4 ~- L! s( J* @7 M' |$ _> 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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
6 ^# k7 L$ n# J) y$ L2 ?> 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?
>
2 }( L9 V: l# O7 W+ r4 ]$ @> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 L7 k$ h& x, {0 |, A( F> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
- h8 ]2 G( j, {> You now have two choices:
" a6 x  M) o! e! T> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.