Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
; a# F! {9 H; |" G. P& ?) I> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* H6 B' E7 ]3 Z& U* w/ r$ P# {> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
4 l* W# _0 X) _( J" ~5 H! Q/ V4 T> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
' w, r6 I% L5 r> 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
, B9 w' ?7 Q' k' j> staff, he offered a question:
1 @9 ]& {. d* @' i6 H6 S>
/ `% j' ^; F6 e6 }3 u8 b% O> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
1 S* H& X+ e5 I! L$ X8 h/ n2 ]/ h: g> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% x5 {$ l& Z* t' O& j" ~, [: f> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
( b4 g9 H- L8 f$ Y6 d% a> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
. X( P6 H% g9 B+ L0 M>
. J. k* U9 R5 ^9 S> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ b- m: D: o" P; x> 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
: `6 D. b: Q+ l1 ?> 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
8 N5 a" i8 N& G  W/ z& c> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
! U' P6 K( z$ U4 W; h0 R> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
3 `& E6 z6 d' {% m) o> inning.'
  K; Q1 V& e1 C; c% H, ^0 }5 S! }>
+ s9 I/ ^9 E& @% i1 E( ^2 E> 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
- P& C5 x* M& m% T# e> 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
; y, g' y4 `# W+ y8 ~; K2 [$ c> 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
; Q# v6 u. d" i, ^3 y2 d% `( U8 R> 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
; d5 u  L& T' H" g> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! B. A! W* j: |! ^( ]: G> 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,
1 i) l* ^) _. U7 r7 g> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: V/ O( L) {+ V6 n% i> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
" R, z- p' S: e9 ~" Z  b2 l" i> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
* B0 f# `" r" k* \8 L# H; e> 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.
/ O( X: T- `# C& ?1 S>
> 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
+ g' K0 K. _' H9 x6 R7 T> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
1 B8 m3 s  u8 R- T> 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,
" e+ ^0 @- v2 H% Y0 Y9 c& ?, k> wide-eyed and startled.
>
' d/ ?' ~: R! q- Z> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
! i# H5 E7 z' i2 U: p0 W> 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
. O: B1 {+ \% W# `  p> 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 }- A) i8 e% A> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
> 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.
# j) S% v: G1 ]5 y! ]! }# A>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
" _; P/ _+ Z; ~- Q# @# J- c>
9 \- J' j% M3 B; J> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
/ g9 @+ j; o+ i> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
7 H$ c: j3 R, q' @> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
% |* u/ E8 v& y7 y> game for his team.
>
0 O/ Y! Z9 o1 ?' B9 v; y> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 w6 s4 ?) e9 Y: u$ s> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
8 A8 w1 {5 a/ f+ q>
> 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
3 B) B9 v0 g* E/ X: f> 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
7 S$ X+ }) Y, j& P> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
& v3 D6 y* z' L3 [/ B& z> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
1 [, A7 S6 `' [9 U> 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
& |0 R/ O# q! a> '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
9 E5 _% H( A: w9 l7 e! ?8 f& K> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
/ f' E5 r4 R2 x: L5 f3 y) `> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
/ N9 v* W& A) g( }> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 J$ o8 s+ Y* ?" }5 R, W% i> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 ]5 [8 I  A" h> 2. Forward
9 B( v2 _) b0 i>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.