Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ H- D5 I; v% b> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
* a# x; J5 y1 z: z) z3 ^) `5 I> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ E1 l  B, l* R! u( g> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
) I6 W) X; O8 p/ u# b> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
4 N/ B& ]  X7 |1 C  T> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 E5 F- D- B3 x" |6 p) [> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 X1 u! M( {; R, ?# y> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
# Y5 w: o, W& \5 `/ h1 W> natural order of things in my son?'
>
% U6 v9 H& _* e+ ^. _+ o- j> The audience was stilled by the query.
5 Q) N% ]4 f/ i0 B2 Y9 ]>
/ y$ S( F0 f& @) O; Y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 d3 w* k6 J  U. u( |5 G/ n9 Q4 `> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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- y1 h. q6 @, ~  g; S) F  t> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 e" {: g6 N& w+ u( _/ u2 ]2 g> 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
' D% f' P& @  F> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
& h0 E2 I: `+ c  d/ i' D+ n> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
) A/ p$ W4 t3 {0 e, @8 a% z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
2 m8 c6 _, a) |8 E# Y& j> 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
3 M3 }" z" D* B% v9 h> inning.'
>
* `& y; t5 o7 q/ E+ V$ L$ c> 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
# q) {, y( C: u) T- 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
- g# d3 r: X0 Y> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
> 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
! d! w# s* n; W+ g% O> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
  a2 J2 u3 R7 |: t* u$ F> 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
" y6 b) v: ?) O1 t+ Y$ t> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 q% S0 Z8 z6 n> much less connect with the ball.
7 g* t* j+ \+ m% N> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
* _0 `. A9 V4 V% B  i> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
> 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
4 P* ~! M0 `2 }> 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
8 Q% G& U, o0 Z' `) [8 _# s> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 o. P8 S. F% S* S& H8 f> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
0 v; W1 z$ e7 ~: s: e& ^> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
1 t6 u. Z3 W1 q6 P4 }, C9 Q6 w8 k> 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
6 I5 o8 Z3 T# |9 H% D. _0 L; `* G> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
- B/ C3 ]3 D2 ?( P( e1 V7 d0 h, B> 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
* }$ L. z9 T3 u* K% F' ]: G> circled the bases toward home.
>
1 R2 c5 O- ^3 Y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
0 ^1 h* y8 j* }, A>
' s3 S/ g1 h# a" j. n6 s> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 C: L/ L8 a# B. f/ g' ^/ u8 Y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
. E" D' W3 ?4 H4 g> Shay, run to third!'
& M/ s5 u! B; L+ M>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
( D' ^7 u1 D  K* ]5 z; D# y/ y> 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
" z( x$ Z( u9 Q8 V, ~$ C6 b> game for his team.
>
1 t& U- r! X; }) ^  e9 W( M> '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
8 I+ |0 m* F0 B> into this world'.
2 n$ S7 K1 j7 K>
% t5 j, g. y% d& V" Z  o* v> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 b3 n: w  r; C0 M, F: U3 z7 W> 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!
>
> 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
; B- G; S* z& \> 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.
>
> 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
1 U3 h& D, j7 ~' c$ c1 T) k) K2 b, u> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
7 L# |. U' b* p* g> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
1 h. H1 J( n8 t2 o0 l) w9 K> 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?
9 i4 N, ^2 Z8 x$ C' _9 F) w>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
) Z! {0 M# N/ V; J> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
' K2 v9 I0 ?( y7 m6 A! _( D/ \> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.