Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
; J$ g* n) V+ \5 K) ~; }6 L% |. V> 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
& K1 q0 c/ y# u! s; c$ F2 c, x> same choice?
>
+ R& F" g- J6 q+ ?9 ]) o/ _4 r> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" `9 S7 m$ i9 U- h, u9 z> 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
) R4 @- X6 P- J9 ?3 ?4 R7 V> 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
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
8 _: W4 m1 t3 N% q# K>
7 I/ m( p6 {$ w( O% q! X; l/ u> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
7 J5 p% H6 ~# c' q: [  J> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
; T- O* L( k# V/ Y* y' ], r> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 Q' |4 K& @3 {% m" X; d( ?: \/ |> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
3 E3 b3 Z4 }1 ^3 B; ^2 o> treat that child.'
5 f  B4 y) G) K. A, N" a0 T>
> Then he told the following story:
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& ^1 ?4 x, w" Z> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; y! y/ B1 b; V2 {8 H> 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
3 e9 z4 `8 o7 t2 Z' A1 t3 d9 n> 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
4 D2 Q* A( a# l* g. l> 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
> 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.'
6 [9 N. v0 L- K>
8 w* l, h7 |& g9 m) w4 [; [> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) O3 A$ D+ g7 m1 l> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
" z) t4 [& N5 m# C0 z) A/ N' g1 v> 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
; `. m; i  r3 t, p( f- R> 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
: Z1 D9 f) ]: N> 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
> next at bat.
>
+ z( {8 q& A. V, p! f( b: 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
! L9 L7 m( {# v! S) L2 U, e> 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
; f% Q% p* j  h9 \( A> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
) s" U/ s. K$ y) s> 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.
0 h/ ^# Y: m# {7 u* e8 E& K> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
0 Y. E  C1 f: F1 _3 R3 k0 u> 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
" i  O# E1 N) ?$ w" ~5 G> 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
0 @1 Q# [6 {" R7 |  T' T> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
: _1 K- d1 t9 ?> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
1 |2 I1 |: B5 x5 X% @) b> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
' D# Q4 z; L; |1 W/ m6 i> wide-eyed and startled.
4 a1 r) f! D/ a6 O. |# H>
4 @( I, y( C, t" h> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 a4 w" n* L' _# O; k0 S* P> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
) x6 s: a6 m- V! P> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
% R+ z, g* K* q7 g> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
: p* |( Z1 w* w/ l% L) r> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
% c3 P9 u8 [- |" x: |& z' h> 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
" B% a% P& g* D# w6 T2 a2 n> circled the bases toward home.
+ R& q: T9 g: U/ D7 j3 k7 u. l) f% ]* s>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
% \" z' C; v9 X/ [& j> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
5 a# p0 o# v1 P- c> Shay, run to third!'
$ T, }+ Z" J0 m3 w( `; _>
> 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.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
, R8 w3 V- i+ o- @8 f+ U> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
8 |3 j0 j/ f( L) n9 l8 w>
0 ?# m9 l0 S1 R% A* g> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
0 x8 f8 W/ u1 U> 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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# S5 [' N2 b1 U, |$ `> 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
' i2 A2 H6 i; H. ^) ~2 c& }0 E2 @+ d' d> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
4 r4 @3 D: Y. @6 y+ `> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
> 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
7 [2 [: ]  E  W" O$ H: K> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
  z) Y) f% d% U8 h( S' F6 F> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
: F, `7 L( ~: ?5 F4 y3 ~> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
( v- }" O4 j; }  B> bit colder in the process?
& z* F2 b8 b3 R>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
5 K6 Y. y0 ~) A6 ]9 S> 1. Delete
/ N; y) r( i) ^$ r3 l> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.