Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
  H8 u7 G8 p* f' i4 x- d: N* L1 F> 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
  z2 _4 q) {; ]$ D4 k4 ^> same choice?
>
% e2 N; n6 _% |7 L> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# \* U# N# ]8 m8 z* P- w+ K1 P1 m$ n> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
' l4 C4 O; Z8 I7 l> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
8 P  F0 e* b1 m7 N> staff, he offered a question:
, U4 z0 e; \6 a3 Q>
3 W$ B; r* X# H- \  Y" g3 R# u> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> 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.
  m, W2 w: |5 [, A+ T>
0 e) Y* j6 A1 r; @% f> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
- p8 _% \2 k+ K! h> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& s  m  {" O9 Z' |> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
; {0 u8 q" ~5 ]>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
9 s0 ~0 P# G9 t7 `: F5 N> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
, B- q$ w, O& S8 w, X> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
! }. p+ S. d& B* s7 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
' _9 D; l% Y+ }4 ~) e' _% ]> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
' Z: W- g! @2 b$ _0 ?0 E4 l> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
+ J% c4 c: }8 Z> inning.'
! E. }6 ]& f' Z, x, o2 J% C>
/ V: C3 v# ~3 e2 T9 e8 F% S& c4 W> 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
7 ^9 p2 U( I% c: J; I1 a) K> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
7 j+ n. I; }& C0 I> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  ~& t! H+ u0 |. s/ d. I> 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,
6 v& V+ ~4 W. {> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
) W& O$ d" u' h- Z- I4 o> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
" l/ v+ y0 M- H> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
9 q* Z, O5 [! J; s# r> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
5 a& \; F- A6 V! f. q& `! E  |' Z> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& V' o2 d& X4 ]! Z1 l9 B> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
3 \. k( I7 |& N* q! f1 ?> 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
> 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
0 ]5 `  k7 z3 p8 h> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* u8 z' R6 a) Q3 e4 j8 S4 f4 X8 `> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
  S# w5 Y9 p5 h9 T. U> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
% e3 e0 r* [& r3 f> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
! u: [# s7 |, _( `) X> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
" U( B: D# C2 x. O$ E> 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
; `7 }* w7 e. h" `> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
% k# u2 |" ]/ y: e# s> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
: T0 X& z/ t. L5 Y: O' ^7 W1 ?6 T2 i>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- K$ Q  Y0 L  }+ p' l> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
& u$ K" {: C4 v( h( w% I7 v! D> Shay, run to third!'
& y4 I; X& Z3 A/ S>
6 y2 `( n! l) ?' q  B> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
  _1 ^9 H5 r/ J5 W- p( m> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
  m% c, u1 ^4 u+ }> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
5 C" j0 s, D: L: W: Z& H& k> game for his team.
( i# c: v9 p$ R5 b4 F9 E1 w>
- Z( s! w3 Y  o> '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'.
, {  S# |4 O8 k1 m7 k: }% d: D>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 k$ Q: z7 m1 Q" C6 A( q> 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!
. {" W; A2 V5 U% Z2 ]9 r: `>
$ p% f9 ]( ?' `, _) u$ d; x- V# c> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
4 u7 {' c% A( X5 }1 M! r> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
: g9 l6 d4 X1 I2 C% {> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
$ F3 m  g; @$ S% F! ~> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
/ X# V1 ^$ }: A. B2 Z9 T% S> '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
; ^4 ]+ O+ W  }0 P( d- ^> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
9 n4 y5 F; K$ ?/ s: d$ f> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
: X) |& X& ^% A9 k$ H6 Z! o> 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?
3 Q9 \3 v" V" h: O8 u' y% Z>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
: r4 g  {1 c9 G# D: k# [" C  P* G> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
+ s5 U( x' c9 G; V>
5 P6 n9 j/ v. A> You now have two choices:
: ?( c1 N& V" u0 h% k> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.