Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
! y( x$ `- L$ 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
> same choice?
>
) P9 [' P' n, o1 K: i9 [, C> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
/ u: M$ T6 [/ e> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
" ?. C" J* K  k+ ?6 E9 `> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
! X/ c- ^8 G% S" ^+ D> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) `( m: p! v: K- R> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 L9 G2 m! S$ n3 ]9 N9 N8 ~$ ?, i> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
4 g+ @" v* \$ e5 s> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 S5 t: G! e) e> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
8 x3 m3 i7 C# }' o> treat that child.'
0 |4 K, P5 ~+ h3 h* a3 t6 c0 N& B>
> Then he told the following story:
! M" B" v& K+ R$ z2 ?>
> 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,
% T6 _# o2 `4 p> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
& Z. Z- e' B5 ~$ V> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
3 f/ k- |$ X/ Q- A" ^* N8 |> 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
2 L* B( v* w  i> 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.'
>
" v' F# C7 T! U7 [, H% q) S, n> 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
/ A( R/ J2 C& V: Z1 ?* U1 ~> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
- l% Z9 P9 `: D& G> 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
% R% k/ i3 W- l  t3 o> 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.
>
- {8 }* K# |: E& U; m> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! t. ]7 @; M- f  K- U0 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,
! B' ]! v! x0 ?  i8 E6 |> much less connect with the ball.
$ o& t% ^+ P: E! c$ u' @) G, ~> 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
$ q3 N0 }# ?  W! t> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
0 h: f) A; l; l4 y* {> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
2 `8 t% f4 o6 v" l; m0 Q> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
* Y, ?+ p/ Y& u4 _, t8 f* S4 n> 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.
>
> 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
1 Y7 Q4 i5 d. p> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
( _1 t! x/ j, i5 K/ D> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
7 T& M/ u9 ^# l6 {: s>
+ v7 d9 d1 y1 @# F# B) t. L0 q> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
0 r. [7 b. R+ U6 C9 [$ I> 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
+ @) u2 m- Y6 g- C> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
) @3 P8 g+ ?$ M' w/ D8 H, R4 z> 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
& f0 j$ a7 q! {# A) c/ h9 L( {> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
: ~7 u% c1 \1 k; P& l$ Y. u> circled the bases toward home.
>
- l. V, x, ~+ R> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
* v: P3 d  k1 {* H5 s0 l  [>
$ \' N+ j& q% P1 V> 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!
5 ?: I  J/ X1 M" T- b5 x> 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
4 e* a, [9 U* y& E9 `  |> game for his team.
& _7 b5 ~. I6 c, z: o>
( X7 A( r/ [/ B> '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'.
0 u  K& s5 b. q9 @>
1 V2 {* }5 c7 g5 w- i) u> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 h7 `! G8 z! \1 x, d> 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!
; R7 ^% E7 [1 u: R>
> 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
6 o) A3 N; t, {% a> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
) r( ?( X3 u, c> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
+ I0 _! p$ `. ~5 Q2 Q> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
; f! ^9 q  r- ?6 F8 M1 f> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
2 T" }. X# F" O( F1 c+ ], C5 p> bit colder in the process?
; m7 i9 Q) ~2 o, p: `>
0 q$ P( j$ N+ h5 z9 l> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# C4 W) J. {" p$ N* {' J. h& Q> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
/ _" f+ f  e/ U( n  B/ g! Y# i>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.