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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$ Q9 B2 c; o+ G) `7 u3 ]& }! K> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
! N, r8 h9 Y8 B$ t> 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
: i% R; Z: v4 _: ?0 v> staff, he offered a question:
, G3 w" I6 ^, u/ J>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 Q1 _" P3 G0 R( `> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
2 s0 \$ S  f  l9 b( U5 h" \> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
" L' o$ y* u8 X; }' R>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
9 n8 l4 ]3 n2 n. h) h4 E3 d  M6 A+ n> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
+ F6 ]8 {/ g  s. t+ [) L8 \6 G> treat that child.'
& }1 o% B, a6 X( V! k>
> Then he told the following story:
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, h+ m6 v+ r2 }0 y> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
  n& h: [+ N5 F7 R4 @> 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
1 G- x6 u% {; T0 G& s& ~> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
9 `  i2 Z# X: H# q; u6 u7 D>
3 R+ o0 {. t. S# @> 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
" N4 k8 \+ Z  K* g/ N) [% B  K> 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
2 f& L5 D8 F! q> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
2 I$ q5 _$ C6 @" g9 r" ?> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
- n& `: l* f6 M4 {> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
1 Y4 N( b9 b, J* \3 q2 A> 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
/ Y+ B( R  d6 b0 D/ 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
7 p, @/ C* v+ _8 C. @' @7 k: ~> next at bat.
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> 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
> 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
. {# ^8 h. L. W5 S$ a> 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
  Q2 a7 p/ _( \# q1 s5 p* I> 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.
>
. X  \" V1 @+ P6 \) M% w> 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
3 N" h! g8 m2 ~8 f* n; \/ \9 e> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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0 M. E; S4 g: J7 @: B> 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
% V) @* N' C5 H) ^; d' w) r9 U> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
  p" F! \9 u. d1 S& t> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
; k# Z; O! e2 P: x. L4 [8 m> wide-eyed and startled.
>
/ z# `8 n, `% ?1 z> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
: \* P1 V* B; S; O> 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
4 B" S4 F# _3 o6 M- c' f  h3 Z> 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,
0 \- E6 ?% Y$ u0 V5 t1 t> 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
- |; |- J& I4 h% }5 f> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
" I/ ~3 C0 O* M. }; V, m> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" ?3 R/ a4 |$ v' ?$ f) w> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
! _- Z, ]' B# ^5 T" f> Shay, run to third!'
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  Q$ |/ m8 S+ O5 U5 S* Q* C' E> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 a) ]4 f- t3 n0 e$ X( s; S' b> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
  `4 D0 o9 B" w* O> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
+ k& ]- W! ~/ Z0 D7 f> game for his team.
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& Q. g& W( a- d/ v' i> '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'.
4 \* e  I3 y( w' n9 [0 {>
5 n( z; ?' g* P$ y) p, P> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
6 [$ l; u9 s1 s" w& f>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
& a$ L+ r+ ]( V4 K# Q, x9 Z> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
0 I4 x# }1 N1 \! v8 X> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
' n" P! }0 J1 M, \  @> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
7 S; ?8 @8 U& L> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
4 ^+ Y. B7 Q* ^/ k" H# R> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
' w5 p; \7 g+ E6 `7 g* R9 M4 J> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
" e  @  _; _( f9 b> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
1 W- {# ~/ T# d+ J, z> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" _' Z) i( X8 v/ V% M- \> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
& q! B! M$ u! `0 W% L4 k  \. v0 d> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
2 V. n/ F& w; G- ~& r1 g0 e> May your day, be a Shay Day.