Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* A6 |8 P; r2 P, r' }/ g: k: C> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
/ B3 w7 T$ m% j4 E& a3 _>
> 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
, N& Q* Z. ~9 v6 Y) o/ {3 Q3 J> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
" ~" v. ?1 Q7 S- ~> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; Y8 D' {/ i% d1 U6 \( U0 T9 R3 ~> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
% `: i4 w& i/ a4 D- s> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
, m! v* B6 I. ^% h( x1 o8 F4 m+ k: ]> natural order of things in my son?'
" X) K. ?7 U) z: j4 y+ X% Y>
. n3 G( `) S7 }# F% b$ [) @> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
; Y( E) g0 \) b9 k> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
! I7 B! B& `' \7 N4 U3 l> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
5 Z+ M0 f  |3 b: {, z$ @> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
4 p; i: I5 r2 v* y$ u> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
1 o3 w) z! q" F> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
1 a& m( c# o6 n# J> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
/ ~9 u+ g9 Q6 A7 L# J7 h> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
- \* n5 V2 A- s  }( A% m> 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
" m0 X0 L1 u; N$ W! u> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
* h1 r# a6 ]6 H' D' I. _# c# U> 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
' Z' y8 h" ], f> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
- n5 Q- L" O  m% u> 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
6 F" f, a  H5 b9 j* l: q> 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
> 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
4 d" V4 A# c% E" {- [, V> 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
> 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
. [+ S1 f: ^$ L! k> 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.
+ B0 \' u; b$ t& W0 Y  t>
; ]9 ]/ u% J; ]8 W8 h- n6 J> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; o- m( _% b/ e$ }$ j; o> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
8 r: U. i; n' _6 Q# a) n> 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,
# i! y7 x" V3 f# b% @; C6 P> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 j* R; Q* K% }0 a6 H$ o, b( `> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
  s5 T* P/ l3 n# G* s> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
* b  U! t9 E2 [. L8 Z$ {> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
1 [8 C. |, g1 B+ t4 z! h" X9 w- i> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!'
/ X, K/ ]# U4 Z/ l& W>
# a7 O3 O  m/ U6 ~9 g> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
> 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
> game for his team.
( @$ f% w1 G* o0 v>
> '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
. i' ?1 [2 x  u; G. \* d> into this world'.
; ]& U0 @# S+ ^6 W) e, k/ D5 |. w>
8 S" k# c7 n5 p: L> 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!
>
. t2 i6 z3 p- c- a! W* ]> 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
) _0 o, X( u9 J4 h- [' @( \& i> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
, a8 P- _) ?" M: h) r> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
. {4 D1 _3 M/ L& A% c9 D> 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
3 u/ l9 S0 ^$ }4 c8 ]> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
9 c% H; e% A1 U1 V* e/ O4 b: l, o> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
5 X9 @* x5 r9 [3 B. `9 }" ]> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
  X* r( ?6 r+ m$ b- Q. O> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
  d% l) g4 `3 x; \& p6 h> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
7 t3 ?: q# A/ `5 v/ F& b> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 _% c" i1 k: K# L1 b% i3 r> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
* j; a: s8 t7 v: k( X! m* w/ y  D> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.