Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% d/ ?% q  i: P0 e+ g> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
2 K+ p2 }# P5 ]" j> same choice?
6 N1 Q/ J3 [' M" ?; ^>
" _3 P# T/ n7 D7 I/ o0 I2 X> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" E6 x3 R1 J- |5 k> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 q" w3 E6 C3 }+ Z6 j+ v> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
5 A8 k7 t% s- I0 v+ z. C  R8 w- k>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 m" J2 ]- Z, i, _( G, g  V7 h1 u> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
# W9 h, c3 ~* m1 T8 Q> natural order of things in my son?'
$ E2 ?6 |4 x, }5 D. k) X>
8 Z5 a1 `0 y) b$ U; b, A8 n> The audience was stilled by the query.
% F! i) M, a$ p4 B' v& `>
> 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.'
>
9 T3 x$ a0 V7 j( s( w9 Y> Then he told the following story:
  \9 ~) C: e: R- I& b>
" Y7 p. {# `9 W# [& ~9 }) c> 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
2 q8 u6 |. d2 i1 Z- k! \> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
3 t9 [# ^. q! s( f& s9 k: |3 i( z( L, _. g> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
( [, \! U0 u% g> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
) `. E/ @& o( D" {  F9 X% z>
$ i* v, X/ B8 C, I) v3 e- O> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
2 `2 y: e0 K, d> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
1 o6 L" z* d# L$ |> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
- {& E% U" o/ T6 c> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
6 L9 ?  ~( @3 R2 C/ P" E>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% H7 e, q, z" D+ O4 J: D% Q% Z; ?) l> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
1 p& y2 ?# o1 w6 y4 C> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
7 K/ R+ q6 M# q7 p7 ^> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
- w* ~. I' _0 O> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
/ f3 |4 f3 ^! Q) 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 D3 a$ q$ z- j7 F& e( v0 O3 _7 }1 A> next at bat.
>
, E+ K" c7 N: ?4 g. ^. u> 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,
9 @& g# Y. A1 L! n4 U; I> much less connect with the ball.
) T# y5 \/ t5 p" x4 D> 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
> 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.
2 J1 d7 C% _5 _2 T2 y2 Z% x/ \0 ~> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
  v5 K' x# o2 R9 ^# F. S> 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.
* c( a& V+ S! x, Q: A1 v>
> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
+ T3 S8 Y2 {3 a. G' s- m' `" }> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
2 X1 O9 u3 [/ l* x( @> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
3 t* A- X  ?8 Q; _9 @> 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
+ ~/ x' _9 |1 Z. v  F4 c7 ?> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
2 m; v: Q# F* g5 D$ K( G. V> circled the bases toward home.
# q3 j; {' i8 R  e' @4 \>
6 k* l) m0 }  O> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 k3 U; n7 T' L/ o4 a2 _3 T3 M3 a1 e> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> 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
, u. c, o( E+ \> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
+ V* e6 [2 I+ x6 I. D6 D+ T+ F> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
2 I* Q6 w# j' {>
  ^7 e8 i) M$ J1 y: T4 ]3 X> 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!
>
3 `% ?1 ~- k& \/ v+ m; F> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
6 y# b3 ^7 T2 O: X& h> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
& [  S* Z, c; @  }. U) g1 Q> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
% t- a1 ^1 g  A8 U> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
+ |! J) t% o. |! J. X+ ~>
' d( T. P9 \/ h8 R! [5 z% d> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
- x4 Z( R7 y, ?: Q# G* w> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
6 y1 w) t6 q2 H; s. _1 R, }: ?4 e> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
+ e: i2 x3 P, a- g2 A3 v> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
$ Y0 J3 F. v- R$ V> 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
- Q. V( e( X! ?0 K' ]: U1 a2 g& Y> bit colder in the process?
: J5 D& E7 ?7 X$ U" S) o7 ?>
& I7 F4 Y8 o! i! x> A wise man once said every society is judged by
( a3 ]# d; m) p1 F; M; P( H> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
8 |$ h6 O8 ]. z>
0 \3 z/ K4 ]* v; l, P. ~$ r3 a* F> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
; z! a* D8 @$ a> 2. Forward
7 P5 _2 K" A* M, f1 v>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.