Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
0 ?# ~! k& ^  x2 b0 m! o" C> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) I6 G, H# ~, s$ V* T> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
) L  Y2 g' a0 g) t, i+ h# F> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
9 D, R6 p$ i2 R+ u3 \* d> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
! b6 W' M, |2 S- |9 D> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
& q! Z$ F6 M' d; t# z> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* o, |0 `2 d' f5 {4 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
0 R7 x$ o6 O0 _/ B) q: ]> The audience was stilled by the query.
/ u# x3 e0 T# B% l( w6 Q0 G5 Y>
: V: A4 T5 a* p> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
: f0 J% t6 u  u- r3 p> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! ]8 u' z3 X) f8 ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
& N) H5 o/ c% S1 p> treat that child.'
  E9 ~5 ?& J6 w& B- M/ e>
> Then he told the following story:
>
9 u) [" m% P# _% U> 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
) J" A) B6 F. F. C) P$ f; y> 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
. A) E& e9 [/ r> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
+ z3 I7 Z  g3 J) m: B  E9 o> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
% ]' L. `3 O0 ]+ C; ]* A7 {> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
) [- ?! I3 R7 Y' 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.'
( U. w7 n: ^# o6 k! 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
> 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
> 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.
>
- }5 Z7 l; I! U, _- Q/ c> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! g9 ~1 @4 V* X> 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.
$ U( X. r3 D: b+ o> 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 b0 P- \! I( B0 Y# D> 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
8 e9 t# u+ S2 C+ e- z> right back to the pitcher.
+ W( r: u0 j" b9 _; {6 X  H>
> 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
> 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
> 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,
$ W. ?: Y0 i/ C  i  F> 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
: ?5 R) f1 V  W: ]9 d* p: c> 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
7 |' X7 x' ?. ~: m, H' C# b> 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
- p$ I+ y  S  D> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
3 E6 Z1 Z$ H% \2 h) o, C> circled the bases toward home.
>
9 B2 C+ l/ {1 |  y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
+ d3 m8 k. M  B! W" l>
- E# P4 o! O% {: _8 s> 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!'
>
9 N, o! p  c- ^> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
3 l! F. z+ b. g9 I6 E> 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
$ k" v6 x4 W$ y3 h9 ^* a> game for his team.
1 n4 U6 \8 c$ z' H% b>
% t! u9 F0 E* z- u. |0 B> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 p: e& k1 v. ?5 j6 R3 G> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
/ I" C) \4 Q2 j7 h8 I>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
/ Q+ Y9 g. a! j6 p5 z, t4 A2 ]% C" N> 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!
>
5 X+ Y) o5 u: O& w> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
0 _1 Z' w: f! j6 j9 \! _, d> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
5 Z6 x' p6 n: E5 b> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
7 a  m4 ?- h+ o  ?; d, X> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ H+ Z* z5 c  i. M9 I, J  ]> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
" B" W1 ~3 t& S( D3 i> 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
+ y4 Y8 K1 |4 z2 B9 d" M" g> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
- N4 c" u4 V# {" r% }* l( e> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
8 Z7 K: S9 s1 h& H; L( ^  J% W> 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
0 n3 f2 e, P7 f. {: P> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
8 L: `: t2 m. M* h6 k$ `) H> bit colder in the process?
: v! N# X+ d) e( M, V# h>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; t3 v  M. Z8 d; S+ s> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
& p8 Q% I* f% Z: v0 k& e>
! Q% Q( V( Y* y> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.