Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
1 ]! x/ q1 s" E7 y' H5 d7 b> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! e4 z9 z; ~% u$ ~/ R/ |, O> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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' K5 G7 p, I& P' Z. x+ U4 d  Z0 [> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
8 D8 D) g1 h6 O> staff, he offered a question:
0 `) j2 g1 ?$ Y  q  e>
: Y: z" x# ^5 h7 K* J> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 ^, s# `. k5 {2 \' s2 E> 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
, X* d2 j# a( r* V3 K> natural order of things in my son?'
0 p9 k6 d# n% F9 d  O>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
' R9 H9 |  B! ~& V0 e6 k  j/ R> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! C' q) u3 \( U/ A+ z0 }> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
' ^9 f7 }7 _& `8 G1 p  o> treat that child.'
>
% }6 x  @; c! F: g> Then he told the following story:
>
* ]- w* o4 s( x0 G0 p3 A> 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,
" E$ j8 i: @( l& N* n. l# P0 `6 x> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
5 e# j9 D/ E& e. p6 {. t% k> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
9 Q3 V, t/ d3 O- p6 I> inning.'
4 u3 j9 _2 ^6 l) e+ O- J>
> 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
> 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
5 i; k: s; ^& O; }> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
. y  V' X3 G  Q3 k, k8 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
6 P1 O' G' |1 e' ?$ o0 {2 G0 v, Y> next at bat.
>
> 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
! Y0 L: R+ q' N! S0 s> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
# @. n. i( X' e+ 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
8 q. w; H8 c! x* n. Q2 t! i> 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
> 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
2 I9 [/ }9 v0 n! ]> right back to the pitcher.
5 q: }+ p9 i; B; m>
, G  {; g7 w: m/ a- T> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
# @$ R0 ~! w+ p1 a- r> out and that would have been the end of the game.
+ t) k- Z  k8 {3 K6 j( C>
, r1 C% |/ c) R4 U- L> 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
" n# ?; R/ G8 ?3 w7 x4 ^4 L> 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.
>
> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
6 v+ E( L; A- x> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
" a( Z/ B5 V: A4 i> 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
! U8 J- w# f7 o6 ^5 [, {- N> 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
; b- [% U: j5 }6 }5 v- B! k> 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
) b& m/ G; {0 U> 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
7 T. B7 V: j* F> into this world'.
. n" z1 @9 K4 e, ?/ }>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
$ S/ I7 M: ^* R2 F4 c5 v1 b- L$ C4 {> 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!
>
6 y! B8 l0 M1 {. Y7 Z) W' z> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
6 X# D% b  s; E# r+ Z, m> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
# I# ]$ W% \( O; G, A: N, ]> 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.
>
# [5 y" Z9 }* ~( Z' h5 v) M> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
% U0 u& y. [3 t3 C7 {' o> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
9 u# Y7 w5 I9 `: l5 U9 N- H' }- a> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> 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
> bit colder in the process?
. o. ]# I- q; @; Q>
3 h# m* i# c6 H> A wise man once said every society is judged by
+ ?2 T9 N0 C* o% X# t9 h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
! q. s  [  `7 o>
5 D! X1 g' y! a2 k' a> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
* h0 q) u& @8 z' ^# v& e1 x% O1 M> 2. Forward
2 ~4 U# [' [2 ]# V>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.