Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
7 U" V3 A- u8 g, S& _> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 c' K$ m  g, k  Y: U> 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
" \1 j. S4 x) A% h& ^> staff, he offered a question:
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> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
" Z8 j+ }* V) X> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
# l: _- H8 D9 I0 O> treat that child.'
>
: f% V$ Y. w2 B. `, z, `0 F2 j3 v> Then he told the following story:
6 k* N! j* n. l, a7 Y& C>
# b" @3 v. Y6 b$ h* B: W9 r> 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
! y" K8 C3 m: ?6 ?> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
  F$ w. T% z( l5 w7 C/ O) q> 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
4 ~  i* l) p! l" j> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
/ Z' X& m& N" H$ N; O1 Z) u> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
; ~4 j, u  d! E> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 |, L4 s) G, e% @2 G8 u: \, t0 X> inning.'
8 N5 m* i8 r; T- D% A8 E0 k>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
* t* Z3 S8 X# N) M" w: `> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
/ ?- X1 E# W4 }6 E> 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
8 }( @& W9 H  J$ l# P> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
' Q$ o7 X# u5 D> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
: G' L! Z0 ]! E; u> 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
: l, `3 _% u& p2 d> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; E$ l  v. K# o: A1 h> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
. d* \. q1 O' f9 N, h> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
  f1 c: [. Y) A" ~. I0 g> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ D+ l! g5 R! U% f4 N6 ^- h3 F> 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
$ B9 G- q/ K/ [- F& O5 t8 j> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
, j  K1 E5 B# q" b3 t; X  X> 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
0 Z: `- |7 k# u, @) B. g> right back to the pitcher.
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/ V& e& \  ~/ ^% B9 [* g> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
. c( h. i2 _( s4 X: I4 I. a> 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
1 V$ j  m. Y3 n) A> 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
$ C! T: C3 c* y6 J5 _> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
3 F/ a8 V8 v5 ~>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
+ t! z- K& l# ^6 M; \# g" C> 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
4 v0 B2 U: T9 ]> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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, R5 ^4 L( D5 p3 f( g% x> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
9 Z9 w# ^+ y# }8 w7 d: e, \> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
; F' r" M. ?- k7 @> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
) P' A4 D) w0 ^) R> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
) S: ^5 p! T. K, W  I/ K% k% ^> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
7 }2 I; f, L& b( v; [, w# ~> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
. h' e; C, N8 s  y4 g6 u> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 a" Z. x: @* q1 P8 B6 K+ ~> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
' u* I4 M! R) o2 d) \> into this world'.
>
( _; E% D, c0 z7 S) G/ ?. @> 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!
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& _9 _' ~( E3 O2 a) B> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
) X* U& `* M$ j> 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
  n; V4 z* F7 w7 Q3 B) \> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
  h7 d  ]) H! z$ r2 h> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
0 a8 `, X1 Q6 i: {* \! S" f- q> '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
1 w$ U/ `1 V/ u* p& n> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 b* C0 j) d3 P5 m% T5 f& I> 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
5 G. e7 N( R% B8 M  `- q' o+ }: J9 B! ?> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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) g7 F7 }4 C6 m3 z" H9 i0 w3 |7 q) O> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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1 x5 j& |4 k9 w6 X4 m+ Y! c> May your day, be a Shay Day.