Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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1 Q0 y5 x0 m- }$ v2 I  `> 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?
>
> 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
/ S- m: S9 p/ o7 n> 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
5 z2 I4 R: f) u% z. m! Z- m/ a> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
& x' A% {1 H. f3 |9 A: i/ g3 ~( m> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
2 G! N4 g% k% W% G8 v7 A5 g* ]# N> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
- E3 K, ]$ r# l; \" W> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
7 ~9 R. o: w  Q5 p> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
/ `/ a: D; ^7 y% ?; U; F( _# K> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
( f; a" O) a+ ]0 b6 Y& Y( r2 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
: H0 a8 x+ S6 i- H- Q- |, }> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 D8 p; E/ V6 |8 F" |> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
' i: o1 f* l' [. j' M+ Y> 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
> inning.'
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> 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
/ _* p' p% w& i* Q> 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
> 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
3 i# `% R  n1 i7 d6 f0 S( d> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" _4 K" ~4 g" M* M/ q> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
$ B" e/ b0 r3 M. g! A: y- ]4 S9 R> next at bat.
>
> 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
5 Z9 Q! ]7 e& Q, ~> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
  x1 `7 D0 T3 k" p> much less connect with the ball.
! ~" ~4 D5 m! k/ d> 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
4 R' c+ d# b& j4 t  ?$ A> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
  u6 k% ^0 b: `9 [& l5 C( t) S> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
! G6 ]( t2 y$ G# Y1 b> 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
" w( \9 X1 N) x> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
7 v& L" U$ f9 c4 f% C9 V> 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
! g; F# n3 q: _% S> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
8 @0 ?& {5 E9 l) @( R> 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,
, `# e- ^, V0 G3 {! K$ K8 X4 N7 q> wide-eyed and startled.
>
/ v- J  `3 @2 J: _. ^8 `> 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
> 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,
% z6 f8 q, |3 F; H4 r+ d+ K> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
6 \' q+ v* d+ L! z4 K% E& N) O> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
1 ~; b" Z2 Q9 L& Q/ g6 e( ]$ x9 i> circled the bases toward home.
>
, @" c3 n/ J1 M1 ^> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
0 Z8 `1 M+ W$ V& o( b1 ?  X* |> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
' N- t) L- Z: U> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 {) W8 k3 C/ O3 n> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
) c5 ~$ T! h0 Q) C> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
% m- u" _  j' R2 ^. d' C; h> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
( [+ f. w( k( G& l$ h6 ?6 U1 S> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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  d5 p; ^9 @7 [+ `3 @" x- N5 s/ `( a> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
! P) j- e3 y6 B4 n$ J. U& `> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
( J: Z3 B: @% S; m" |; Z> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
& ^! i6 E6 n  w. z  [/ t> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
+ c0 Z7 P- Y9 H9 k& e> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
9 X" K- G2 U8 R  {1 f3 ~> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- U1 J7 D' |! _> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. K3 [2 l; _8 h4 z% Z0 F0 T> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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- b) w5 V! y  j' r+ Q8 m" b> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# v, G5 ]# h, J" k+ e> 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
# z9 G; X, e7 Y3 `6 Q. v> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
- k. @6 A6 N; A. w: C  \> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
% [8 n2 I, B* U0 x; P4 [! ^> bit colder in the process?
>
7 r) w. ?6 C) D  o- ?  F$ G> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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" B' G  T+ \" K> May your day, be a Shay Day.