Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
$ N! E7 x, x7 Y6 O> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! N* z8 T6 h' a$ \5 e1 H1 Q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
7 z& p  n7 P0 C+ {* O. X> same choice?
>
! U; _; s8 S" K, X% |. p+ k> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
  I* \5 w( X$ O# }! q> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
; J1 W* @$ K& ^+ w: H( n- E3 n> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# E# R8 T7 a2 p( E  X> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# N( @% D2 L! X+ A* g8 g, E! L> 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.'
3 [5 M/ e" f5 I" R>
> Then he told the following story:
5 h9 I" ^6 B( Q0 E: [% X+ u>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
" H7 [. l5 E4 P5 d, {+ }2 E" i> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
% U* ^1 r1 [& v$ i* g  o> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
: @. C& L/ _! \, i> 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
* Q& y2 x$ Q8 N/ A7 l& T> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 x# D  [, y9 D+ p, F3 ]> 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.'
>
0 p+ I* W0 n3 }; t0 V) y# C> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 o4 R* _; s8 p. r: j, \> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
. D9 }* d! W, ^7 g0 j> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
$ o1 F( H8 A. \9 U. ?% R> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
- }% s/ G# q" }7 T1 E> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
! c0 }) i0 w1 u) @, L- c>
: L9 L; U" B* C( B! |( M1 [4 P( H> 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
9 e- H' v; i' p# w> 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
+ G; p0 u2 h! A3 M2 e& A> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
0 ~8 i% O% e* p# Q5 Y4 N% L% q> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ ]+ E/ n7 I! \> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
0 P" O+ m1 C7 o" Y  j+ b' W9 J% P1 g> 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.
$ f$ Z8 h3 S/ [>
5 |9 \5 q5 z: J6 r> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
" i6 T3 J+ }% H! ^( o9 i: S> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
; b+ i, D; }5 d' v! F+ c> out and that would have been the end of the game.
$ ~' y# D/ h( ^>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
% q! |3 {9 G3 P> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* f5 P& J7 [. S4 A4 y0 l, D$ V> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
" e  _5 \1 y( I9 d" ^: R> 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
- Y+ f1 S& W7 O> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ A  u3 u% `, T/ K# r> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
  y; V0 z$ l* V8 N> 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
> 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
6 m3 |$ P7 f1 W1 J> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
$ t; O( x4 M/ t  m; s5 L# c' o> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
5 b5 ]; p- d& K9 ?- O9 i> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
3 p6 Q; \2 e& r> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
) A$ L5 f  F. v. U, G. B> 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,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
* n9 b4 ]) w2 k6 O. `% ]>
> 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!
>
> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
0 d- e! T4 `( y0 q>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: x" B! L* p: W- S7 H. y) h> 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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
+ w3 a  s! Y# V0 p/ G> 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
( C: l# t% l* |& [) q5 [. @' L> bit colder in the process?
>
6 J8 b: P9 f5 Q% H7 p/ y> A wise man once said every society is judged by
. j+ s( n6 `2 \7 a  U1 g> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
" d) G" A4 t- q5 ?2 C>
> You now have two choices:
8 w! ^" o* k* ~1 {  W$ W2 C> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.