Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
( G( Y/ Q6 C- P: c% ^. h6 x: z! J# a> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; _1 s0 P$ y) O& {8 y0 {0 z> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
3 X. k- ^6 n% |> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
. T) |5 L0 H& S5 \: j> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
; x! }9 W# Z1 u. ?# ^8 T1 V& a6 X> staff, he offered a question:
; _, S1 x, m) Z3 G( g>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* |8 W. u# q, l4 i0 c- w> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 @# p" y2 v+ Z; |. t5 l* |> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
4 j! Z$ |: r+ d3 i. x: o> natural order of things in my son?'
; a+ d' [" q$ k( i- B0 D  D! Z% p7 N>
3 {5 w% S% L7 I> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
4 L! T. o: ^+ S2 Y9 U2 t> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
2 m2 g9 u! i. k7 v5 \& W- Q. |> treat that child.'
  l; ^& B, f, o7 t( F>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
> 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,
$ j0 Y, d. i& P, t3 e$ U: c# d; O! u> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> 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
5 E: O: {4 s: B$ _' x! v; z> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
0 N9 O" O  w$ y! n, N> inning.'
* c3 f0 @8 m, l  F: K9 |>
+ I2 \( W" p$ D; }; \* Q> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
; z4 L* |! [1 G6 y8 p> 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
> 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
- J8 x0 X' Q# S3 y> 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
$ [5 _0 p+ W% Q! i& N4 Y7 }> next at bat.
>
> 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
* t" T8 v, T7 x> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
) I, B1 U2 r/ K+ H. z> 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.
. D2 [/ ?9 Q) m  H3 j& E5 h" l2 I>
> 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.
; ~* y; R( Y% s" ]+ K+ U( b>
# Y/ F1 u7 F" i  e" @> 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
) }# }% D1 W5 N2 h6 q! A> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
( M2 C1 k$ W* k5 H4 Y5 m* `# B> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
' V8 U, ]3 o. ]1 Y3 y2 ?> 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
! s7 o- t7 Z: t3 }  a( X; S> 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,
" A# ^6 L8 R6 h$ x3 r> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 N! P* y3 x, P6 d" E' |- b> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
5 U1 C; E( T0 U5 c>
- L/ H1 w+ }+ m/ ^/ Y# d> 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.
0 \/ G, t7 D9 M5 y1 f>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  e# }; h" q4 y% i$ b" R> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
6 }% u/ R$ l# y+ e( U. M) H# m! E> into this world'.
>
> 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!
" F" ~  w% N* z2 F9 A' A>
( Z; ?* T- ~# p8 H8 q; K> 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
- ~# ?9 H4 Y) c" f> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
2 ]: Z. e1 A8 ^  V+ l" P> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
8 p+ o5 H# ]" i4 y! ~7 K' H3 @4 Y> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
  f8 [8 q2 U2 _8 K! M/ ?7 k> 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
5 G; l  i7 d# h( I9 v> 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
' q4 G6 r- S* U' C9 r8 f( ?7 m> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
3 A% ^* F, ]4 K  S# |* d, a( K> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
1 r) V8 Z8 }0 j1 O& a>
3 P' H& K1 Q8 h8 N( [8 x" r) ?> You now have two choices:
2 m/ N( T0 V4 f, ^> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.