Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
! `. Q& `1 n$ p5 p$ C  _6 F> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 {3 p( Q. a1 Z6 [, k3 {! ?> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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+ H: U+ ~' o, v& l' y1 z+ K) r! ?> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# d- }- e: y. Z+ g, t- @> 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
> 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
1 ]7 i. c5 d. t/ M> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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9 H! l( n# n" c9 `  f> The audience was stilled by the query.
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% m; h& f% Y/ ]8 {: W> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
, e8 ]9 a$ U5 A2 J# M> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 d' P  f0 U9 x, s1 k> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
2 |+ k# U3 H/ P2 s8 ~> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
- }# @! Y/ D) y/ |- h) j1 d2 j8 ^7 F> 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.
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> 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
> 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
2 O5 K5 P& q2 C& ^> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
0 j' [" n( S/ p* h$ I  X> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
+ I/ L. B: M7 o> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
! u, e- v6 j# J( T" h- i> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
8 ^1 w7 d% p; T0 Z% o> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
8 X  B: I& ]0 K( F> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
! s# `' l" o! c7 i8 C: T> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
4 u  n: P$ r5 n7 x4 ?* Y4 J8 E> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 I  g6 M/ V5 l" \% P> 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,
  ?, I+ s$ O) W+ ]8 t9 i> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
0 E' y1 w$ i. o  }) c: m> 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
" l$ ]. g/ S5 G1 e8 P> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
) M& h- E+ }. [4 X  J" o/ j> 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.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
5 S! k. d) H; `8 U3 x9 W) Q0 n4 l> 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.
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( t; W7 y& f2 C# Q- w& O> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
5 [9 m7 Z/ A1 k! w1 P2 Q7 L1 Q> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
& t% P4 h$ P) z) y> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
0 f5 U" b" i' R+ D> 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
8 x1 v0 i3 f8 \8 X! M> 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
$ k+ R7 \' [  }! ^) W> 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
- R5 f  C& I' \1 @2 C> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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2 q# q4 O/ F* C$ X> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 F# z3 u+ U1 G% d> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
& c! {  |1 H7 i6 r4 |# ~> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
' b& V7 e$ V% c> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
8 e9 J% m5 A: n8 L> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
% {" i+ M2 b% U* {4 [% v4 o2 t> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
7 i# V8 D4 y/ u1 M# F> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
4 ]0 Z9 m: H5 T% G( p1 O& e# z# c> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
" H. }0 [+ l6 T) }: I3 d> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
/ `$ c! A* U3 ?( N# O> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
6 E; m6 E7 a# h1 f( O> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
. w1 t: u& f$ j2 j' h/ B) I7 o8 c> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
( }( o* l& U  J! s+ X. ]: d9 x" F! D> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
$ x- d7 D$ C- W. l> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 }: R1 y6 ]* f. N  N) S6 [  a0 _> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
# o0 F( {  W/ w  D> 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
1 F& p: p/ _' f> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
$ q+ P0 p$ l& a- j. G1 _2 E6 ?> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
" x( j9 K+ }- c& m) O> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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/ ?$ [! i/ c- t+ e0 ~7 @  O> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; \6 L# r4 l- Y' l0 W> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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# P: T) u5 A0 D* i> You now have two choices:
. G4 T, N0 \9 E> 1. Delete
. e3 |( G3 K5 ?# R> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.