Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 a1 b9 N# o5 }# p9 v" D9 D+ K0 ~> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
' |6 Z: t7 V3 v5 T2 X! j2 B- x: Y, Y> same choice?
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2 ~7 N5 q8 W& m: M- c2 a, p$ U> 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
0 s. i5 y# k4 r) v> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
3 g; a. V9 N/ r- q: J> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
, r' f0 P$ R3 n/ o+ e> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
9 r6 N( Y1 s) W8 l2 {> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
% W% k: _; V$ d' ~> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> 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
: ~3 H% Y. k2 X* M) `> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 V0 h  `8 z, h; p7 H4 ?+ O> treat that child.'
>
* _6 K9 Q  M( b) K> 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,
/ v0 n0 B% }  b' @4 X! v2 W7 x> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
7 Y9 U0 g$ f3 v4 y" N1 v$ M3 Z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
4 a' t! Q8 Z  G. f8 ], j' z2 [> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 ?: _8 D# i3 l> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
4 f& R3 f! W: @. T, _' J/ o> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
" T3 a: ^8 C" B& u- ?1 K$ m> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
# t8 f: ?: x7 |* q> 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
$ a$ n1 _. k0 a4 e4 B( r. C> 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
8 a' N( }3 J+ r  d> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
0 ^. V, C% b7 g" A> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
  {0 V- M  e2 i, Y3 ^> 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.
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9 i9 A5 ^, w+ b: V: @4 k> 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,
8 W( q1 F$ T+ F  n# ?( l' r> 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
. u( g) H  c4 W0 \: c/ K" G1 j( d> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
3 n" u& j, L, H7 W> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
" l) S" H& ]7 E, |/ d% T> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
5 }4 B) f# G' E  ^> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
* w* |1 ?2 Y; f  B> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
( K4 Y! L; b! ]. ?1 O  G1 y> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
! S) a/ I& _& c> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( q/ Y" [7 r, L3 l. l; A5 k* x> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
& r2 I3 O4 f8 N0 }9 E/ U> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
8 e. N0 e( W3 |0 E7 ~: ~> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 }5 H7 ?+ \3 X" Z- u0 d7 u> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 @- u: x; b5 S> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
9 ]( k. C6 [0 [& E> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
% _8 @) }+ z% M# t7 F> 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,
; c- k( }0 E; W" A- O" s> 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
$ f- X8 A; l3 g3 O1 T$ V$ H, x> circled the bases toward home.
>
- ]2 B/ N- h. ^% z> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( x7 F) V% N$ N7 @7 E> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
' I+ X3 e6 N8 W> 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
0 z9 {7 X; |, F+ s, ~9 t! c, H/ N> game for his team.
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* E0 j* l0 {4 e* x% D. v6 W, Q> '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
1 M4 W( ~  w5 g- n8 t% w> into this world'.
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> 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
% G" h5 X$ ?7 p0 t0 N> 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 `  }7 F4 S) ?5 M( `* H> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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2 P5 ^1 \# `2 B( @; t# ^> 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
1 s' ~# P% u7 I& }2 _4 B> '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
5 _- {% |7 ]5 }  d. _0 W> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
& z  j1 ?" N$ r, ^: `( T6 `6 @8 l! T> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
3 f( Y! j2 z$ A# z; c. U>
4 ~( ]  W( D7 |: n: T> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
# k: `: q7 q5 d: r0 |0 P> 2. Forward
>
- }: M* ~/ }& w0 n> May your day, be a Shay Day.