Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
* U; w* _- M( q5 M1 M2 F> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  @' t7 y, P* r. u& V& V> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
1 _  u8 ~6 m- J# K7 `' W( o3 S  k> same choice?
>
; S5 U. v  Q7 b, {> 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
& Y8 U! w# P7 F. W> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
. s5 j6 B! h* `8 w  I; {0 m> staff, he offered a question:
>
# S9 \; d8 e7 ~& \> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 G1 A7 w) J. A> 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?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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& y6 T( c+ {$ S0 E% }+ V# I) o4 l> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
8 v& p+ s0 J2 `( y! G> 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:
# e( `" K, F0 H2 B! B5 S# ~( J2 Y2 j>
> 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
: Y2 l/ T3 V' o+ a" _. r. l> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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1 g, l  C  |* K& R8 z> 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
+ ~" O# b  J) @5 b5 t6 s' k> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
8 t$ O8 i% s4 {! E7 o' k3 W> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> 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
( x( d! }1 W1 {+ M4 J2 ?2 m/ K2 r> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
  D$ Z' `: p3 ]% u9 W% A> 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
0 V% G) B& w- K6 \" l$ b5 N' v> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
' g- V5 _( T; `: R> next at bat.
>
) o3 B- I( x, w1 C: z5 |6 j/ d> 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
. v$ }* Q# M- ~" j/ ?0 T/ e> 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
> 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
! X9 H$ m# l5 C% p/ {- Z> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
4 s% r' N) U0 N1 }; ^8 c> 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
; M1 |0 R/ A8 Y( p8 c8 m5 i. {8 h> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) r% o4 w. r& X# p- G1 v' O8 b, A> 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.
>
> 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
( A+ Q* m( i, S: h! S0 n> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
4 |' _+ h. y1 u4 s$ B; N3 n" {> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
6 _) z6 h& F- Q1 U> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 n' S+ m5 F1 Y1 u> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
3 }5 X) A- _2 O+ ]' z# k3 w; Z: @& h> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
& `/ T& b; a% _& \> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
) D* r2 d- R% Z> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
- u) b- _5 q1 P9 K* c9 j; ]7 F> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
* E6 a2 J) ~1 D" q7 `. Q+ Z>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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9 A6 P+ X+ V& S. d2 h2 F> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
) D- B  y6 M5 U> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
6 \7 t- g. z) J; H% ?$ W> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
5 a4 N2 ^; O/ P3 l, R> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 x0 w( t: s8 O> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
1 _9 I9 T$ w. Z# M8 }+ ~/ e> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 [7 l3 j# C, c; Q, M> 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!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
) }+ `+ I3 [: n* q) Q+ w> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
5 \  u) _+ ?4 N" ~, C4 z0 z> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: V1 w* l$ N' Y2 O$ m+ t* d> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
& D  N1 e  q3 ]2 x6 g2 d> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
4 f. g$ Z! c5 ]8 w  D3 x5 V  R> 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
5 h6 Y! D2 N: h1 |0 X> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! X5 Q, E7 U" J5 g8 ]1 S1 w> 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
# ?, K/ ^6 v% Q5 f3 B/ u+ a. P> bit colder in the process?
>
; Y7 {# t( e6 E) Z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
8 E7 Z: ?/ z9 I! C- x9 v/ p>
> You now have two choices:
& [7 D( J6 p& o> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
: [; `2 n7 ]+ j2 C> May your day, be a Shay Day.