Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
7 ~5 ?; w7 P0 I  A> 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
. J. W$ G( m! F" @8 c3 K' ?> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. C# C' b& T1 W( G$ M& m% s> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 X7 F5 ~. F, a  u> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
# O. H( P6 h/ Q: x> staff, he offered a question:
& b* I' k4 X9 z, u2 U>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
$ L9 C6 h* U4 ~. ]# _> 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.
' F6 U' C+ k7 u' ]3 `2 G3 _>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
) p% f% T! x) N/ P4 U+ T! Q> treat that child.'
& e% V2 g" u3 b! p' {& J& X) }>
> Then he told the following story:
, j7 T$ t/ h$ |; G; f+ E) s>
> 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
( x* k# Q1 `! I> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
6 p, _. t; F5 l8 \. U2 J$ c> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
, Z% ~" F" Y6 W7 U* K>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
$ q+ w0 O; y8 f' m9 }# q/ v5 H/ ]- i> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 |% I+ {, a! {$ v> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
+ s/ i6 c8 ?( x> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
6 _: O1 K: g" [! e7 C% k1 b>
> 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
# V2 `+ j+ p9 Q7 _* t4 M9 }> 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
7 c' |! {! ?) @2 m5 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
+ |1 ]/ G  ?  @> 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
! y* n% p4 w! Q4 [# Z0 n> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
* I) b  o, `& Q* R6 G" Y6 A; m> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
* @8 F3 N/ S4 @# d/ e' o> 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
> 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
% M# B$ Z: k  r1 s3 I- m> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
1 j/ y  s- p; G; r0 y% ]> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
3 @4 e; c0 @6 J) ~" w) A> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
9 k+ P+ T) T2 G> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
+ B  f! P/ {, h, m8 I> 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.
>
& u/ V5 e! k/ v> 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
> 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,
8 o. @4 d: W0 r> wide-eyed and startled.
+ f1 L0 A- ~1 O% v6 W>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
! S7 }! h$ I0 O7 u9 ]6 _9 u# i> 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
2 t, g4 d6 p/ Q* Z9 I! @> 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,
) V( S7 N4 q8 M( J! X> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
0 b5 F4 g- h7 V# k' L> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
; u# _. E. `* I+ z. |* X> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
; T" F6 C3 ~$ |  C>
. i6 y8 B( u& }$ g+ s( Y& a> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
: {; R# G3 L: I1 m- L7 \>
' h* {1 B6 D  s! r* u) ~- L6 W9 o7 R> 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.
+ ^/ O+ {; g" M4 e# i' D$ l>
2 K8 e/ s3 F  I/ ]: |6 y! }> '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
8 M/ v2 r; L* E# d. N> into this world'.
7 Q7 d# J: x. Y' ~>
> 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!
9 M, j4 _  T- ]# C; P>
> 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
4 p' ]/ G) J9 K. |' L5 |> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
: ^' ?2 Q- z7 x) P1 d> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
- S2 G$ \) D+ _$ Z7 a2 m) [  l: \  X>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
! ], C& W9 B& R> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
# d$ a& M8 l& c' e) c! P1 R> '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
* F1 H6 x1 P+ K( e7 r* Q" y> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
+ p# \3 D+ j( a" p  |# L> 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 Q( f1 U# n' L> bit colder in the process?
>
9 Z3 d5 g  w4 P> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, Z' y, e1 R! i% t( a> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
. n) n7 ~5 g$ k6 k- c7 \>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
3 {( l& U6 B) X, F> May your day, be a Shay Day.