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
% H% l4 Z4 {5 v& ~, x4 q; r> same choice?
>
1 S# Q9 a' G; `; I: b> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ R3 [) I  ]& e- M/ L) @> 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
/ s# J. ^2 ?( n7 G- |& n> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
* V, U6 I; V% }- W: @> 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
3 R5 ~, `6 Y2 `> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# x1 [- F. x8 ~: L> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
. w; S( H; p+ `0 f* q> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
1 f# X1 O4 B; c> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
/ ?6 i; W2 C8 m; \4 c& S% X> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
! Z' K8 |* t. V8 o  U3 s> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
- i. Y/ S" C8 G& w" M> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
5 _6 A$ c$ N2 ]4 N4 `1 |3 O0 Z  z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
% b4 H+ }( M9 U5 P; s+ e> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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. f, V9 X& h: L7 ]9 j% Q6 l' e> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
  I3 h4 ]; `9 P& I( y( B> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
; e5 ~, L3 w+ J+ A. c& u> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
: X( M- K9 t& i# u+ R& y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
% q* x- k/ I. ]> inning.'
>
0 I& g0 J3 ?) P, d( D> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
& d: C# W% O3 n& L: W> 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
' H! c  w3 Q( A: F> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
1 Q) p; W1 |- c% a6 `: D6 h> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
5 c9 ?: H* H! n0 F4 s> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
+ d5 k7 m8 }! m. N2 h9 n" @* ^2 l> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
9 D  h( D& {" ~+ _) T! X> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
9 D- R) J% w2 [> next at bat.
>
. x1 ?; U1 b* h5 L' P* ]> 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
6 t# P8 H! e# [- T$ F$ M) _> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 @2 P  l+ {  W. z1 X9 O> much less connect with the ball.
5 P0 P  c# K! M$ H7 M" Q> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
$ n) c# e4 c* U2 l; P: |> 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.
! K2 b' `6 V2 u> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
8 {1 P5 @" S. \, G* ~>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 ]6 r; x+ `" k& J3 k# W> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
! ]* G) {$ ^/ \8 }6 F4 R( ^> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
& y) U$ z; V4 `# y> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
$ z1 Z: q4 P+ y9 Y, R> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
) \0 E) X0 N2 ^, i( T8 `, E> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 a& i4 X7 }$ t" b! ^7 j/ z8 u$ w( h> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
) Z7 F. s+ g/ _> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
: [4 u) s5 a$ A" m7 D, P( w9 X> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
6 ~/ y" v+ L9 |- H3 f1 O. b> circled the bases toward home.
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4 V/ T3 k: O( n3 I4 m- }, j; b! B> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
" l+ g2 Z+ c: I0 ]5 Q- b6 i5 d>
9 F5 C: ^5 y. i- V& t/ _> 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!
% D7 R. F. X+ N0 V> Shay, run to third!'
% k' j! z- d% W* ?+ n8 i8 L>
> 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.
0 Y/ c; k$ {7 e1 E* J>
> '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'.
+ _+ F3 l. ~  x>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 E* V1 k0 Q4 d2 n- Y8 l3 T> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
& O6 i8 ~. o8 W2 a> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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2 T9 {% _" s5 D! M( p; j> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
. @1 o( {0 H; B0 |0 _* W> 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
$ _- x6 x2 W5 Z9 Y5 [  H; D> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
( m2 A% M& J* V9 [" ]7 \) r# y> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
# C+ ?: X: p, h# L2 O>
& L# Z" t/ q5 P7 u$ Y  M> 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
4 q  e- m* W! D1 i> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
* l) [, o" b" Q> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
9 a, `9 U6 q, J> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
$ \3 }; E# N7 [4 i' Y> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
6 I, @. E0 f2 t9 B; Y>
> You now have two choices:
0 z: u4 m1 |) c! S6 A3 ]' l> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.