Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  p7 g! c; b2 K6 m& ?/ [9 J> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
) a6 G7 A( Q' g$ ^> same choice?
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& I8 ~9 V3 U0 _> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
  d: k7 j  N" r/ r  f; B8 O> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
. n; ?# d/ \& _% F5 D+ _> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
5 H  Z4 E6 k6 [0 W8 n5 A> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
6 G* G( c% I' k> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
6 v9 V" R" k. l/ s! ~> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
0 w. a0 V" D  R  Y; L) _> treat that child.'
>
' D/ `' |" P0 B% U  G> Then he told the following story:
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5 B4 B" K& z( ^# w3 r, z6 G  w( [> 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,
> 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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> 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
- S% S# b& Y7 R% w3 @1 i* g> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
' X1 @" W- x$ y5 @& [; b8 m> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
9 v8 I% b/ O& p# a# K. w5 `> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ E' v, u2 C. ]2 S5 t2 b) K3 U7 R> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
, ^6 h! @& \1 @, l> 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
/ G/ s0 Z9 ^7 Z  J& k> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
; t+ H" f* R% M> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
9 ^) ?  T% [& H+ G# I> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
1 f: }& m9 D* F3 P6 Q> 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
( L, e* A1 Y' X" a/ W- S> next at bat.
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: {1 Y2 e1 @4 b- ?; E3 E- R> 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,
> 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
0 N6 l# p9 |! x5 y6 L3 r> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
5 B! l% ?& ]7 w( p' D& 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.
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: G, d. O0 ]* o# e> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 g+ F2 ~* |% _% L; {> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
: ?7 |0 T9 K+ V6 }# S& E> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
, d# S1 ?: D( }7 u% h" \* r4 T$ `> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
( t# g& e) {: Y$ d. \8 R; E/ N> 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
7 ~3 b/ I1 r0 P0 j> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
3 n, d: b* D/ Y) U3 {> 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,
- U- C6 p# ]- o% R4 \> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
, U5 P" M1 b5 B4 a' \8 M# u0 Z> 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'
>
# x4 y7 q! \3 f( f, b> 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!'
>
> 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.
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" T; q( B% w! d0 C9 \* ^: ]3 E- X> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 {; o0 a, W+ [* [7 ]; n" \> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
& s4 c# l. N  f# i" v> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
9 R- h8 I: N  O* k0 z9 B" R& K> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
- G. s9 w  W8 {4 V> 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.
>
+ O4 [) B  n9 x> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
# l' X- o3 \% {> 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
# y4 c& v  k2 e+ i! `2 N$ Z$ _> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
" W5 R: F( ^$ @% N4 k> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
* i9 \. i9 O8 v, r> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 @' E. l) ]7 E; [8 u$ Z' e> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
3 _) l  Y2 \' }8 s& f4 I6 |4 b> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.