Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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/ J6 D) J6 i$ A, G- q> 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
0 p4 S! Y" g' ~: ]  A% s> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
' ?2 ]; ~2 S, V+ X$ b> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
) r  V+ }3 P' S4 I> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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) Y. T( i  U$ H% f> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
, ]% ?5 s& e' d* M3 D  S5 ^( @> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
( [$ j( |, o1 W> 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.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
) K' H5 R' `* g6 B> 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.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
1 r2 _$ S5 W' ~$ C" C> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 H: t/ b% }+ I! f! F$ g. I* c/ |> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 B8 i: |8 B6 S* L8 R> 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
2 d( F. P) U2 o' s( W8 Y> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
2 I  d# ]/ A% \/ D, N> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
% `' M" C& ~! z# A* n% s6 b% o> 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
! N+ `6 @. a. I9 o6 J7 Y2 o; I> 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
* ]5 ^4 o9 m  d3 V> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
% K6 j6 _2 O  G: l> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
, ~( Z5 ~& e: g% v5 }# U$ {( U6 i: o9 y> 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
* R6 w. H1 M% T7 i' D( S> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
  g0 W/ n4 J- G! F6 c0 A  ?7 k/ t> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
  B( l+ s7 W4 _* _6 H> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 o5 A! g+ |, c/ {) ^# H/ @> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
! E! S7 j* X% T; o* h, p> 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
5 J: F" n* k9 I> 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
9 j6 k6 ~$ L7 W; l> 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
! v$ k. ~' D3 p> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
4 v0 h' u  e' N  R# r> wide-eyed and startled.
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, k* ]" q3 B; G3 ]8 b5 W3 q* B> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" T4 {8 l2 J+ |8 M# e) c& d4 G> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
/ W5 s# B, G  r, F1 F5 b> 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
' V% v4 R5 A% W0 Y! T/ O> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
1 o5 b: V) z: j" V: T" H* L> 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
4 `7 o" O# r7 k# {* h> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
* h" a1 D& k  ~+ R. }> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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
) k! |1 T# O1 U, A" N* X+ k1 [> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
. `* y; X3 z! w0 X8 j" Y> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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.
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$ K$ j3 p: a2 k3 v> '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'.
>
! m3 Z8 ^6 l$ p: i> 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!
>
- B" q* c0 N; F& I, O: L> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
; @/ B7 ?0 u- q5 @> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
7 Q; r% ~! \1 L9 ]2 J7 K> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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+ S5 V* a, {; W1 b! O4 s* [6 U+ j> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
& q0 F6 D8 f0 H1 ?3 }) g> 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
' U1 D5 r- ~; L, B8 x> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
; Z- K4 e/ w$ W9 Z7 E) ]+ Z7 r> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
- |' N* @* t* `! N9 f5 L1 L0 a, u> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
( L" y2 t' a- p> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
8 N9 t  `9 {, a+ [2 k( G/ P7 ]+ z  F' r> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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) C7 ^0 N+ D4 X# [3 I, y- D0 {> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
) j- a( D# v7 e, A& `( I> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.