Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
9 r* I# R" R  {0 c9 F' s  w; ~8 c+ a1 W> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
8 f* a2 \; y1 w( o& _9 j, S% W1 \> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
/ Y# R$ R2 l- P" Y) n* V5 V: Z$ p3 c> same choice?
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, O7 H7 L/ o! l+ c9 G6 c: O5 j/ u* O! m> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
( M. h% R0 S8 u> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
2 q8 c# Y( k2 y1 l> 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
, F& `+ P- R1 t& _& k' F> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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* T) ^$ F# k0 d8 {> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ f/ e  [: }2 e" B> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 r7 j* [  {: O. Y) u> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 Y7 s* P. @  b4 Y9 N  C> treat that child.'
0 O2 D0 \. T/ k1 E7 f1 h>
> Then he told the following story:
>
) L3 \- @7 B) D/ i* w$ Y% t6 B& `> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
7 R3 _1 \# v3 n  ~% K' q' p7 t" F> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
: C) ^2 h) k. Z* ^( B6 F7 b> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
) d8 f& a( j7 v9 N! m> 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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! K6 a$ n3 C8 B; a3 A0 P> 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
+ L: b! ~) E2 S> 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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$ l  m" v3 q! a> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
  L# }4 \4 M: O) _5 h> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
* b& d- T/ [) {. o> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
  Z6 Y* b6 @7 q3 W- v> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
1 w' t8 a; e6 _7 o' S* Z> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
: x6 K2 Y4 T" h( H4 `/ o' w> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
. ?3 s; Y& e3 q9 t( a> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" D$ X, ~9 v: |; e; q* n% ^6 b> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ b: {$ @' R) R> 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,
5 L8 f7 x5 P0 h' ~> much less connect with the ball.
+ N, C% i) a% J> 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
) x/ a: i0 f6 P' m& t> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ d; b) N8 t1 c' 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.
- c; A$ w+ M" g$ K- [$ n> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
; s* t. ^, S' O1 ?9 H: `9 O> right back to the pitcher.
6 I0 G9 T; R, E" N8 x7 I5 M>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
$ J4 b( f# N( B* N& f& s2 B- g; J* E( ^> 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.
>
3 T/ u! ^. X! u3 \) J  \* S* W> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
! f2 J1 O3 Z* i> 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,
& f; }7 C& W& ?> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* `6 \7 m! _& h; B; q. i> 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
1 i* F0 ^1 n5 |* a% T6 O3 O0 Y  ?> 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
( B! P5 }- J: a  Z> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
- w0 {& l8 c+ T$ Q> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
( T' e& A+ J2 ]7 E, z5 B- H> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
2 q9 v6 _6 |( _+ Z2 V. h% D> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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" ^4 O0 P+ Q* z' A5 Y; |> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
* I: U: T+ C% B7 k( P, ~> 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
; T. ~# i$ f+ e: F7 W7 m. x> 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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> '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'.
>
# f* ]5 O# ~! A( B6 p' w> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
/ y9 D- l2 i3 b0 {5 e8 H> 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!
>
> 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
! |5 e- _" T7 B/ B) g1 k8 c3 Y> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- U. ]  w6 E" ~  D, k* z> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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! m( F# z  m, w7 K> 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
& N0 C: ~8 V( c) S> '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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> 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
6 F( p0 V: [4 e> bit colder in the process?
>
* r. R) y# H& G> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
7 C5 Y: S& Y1 b5 I>
  a& [9 r4 G  c$ ^# n' x> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
  G) W5 ~) S  R1 O> May your day, be a Shay Day.