Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
4 W+ \$ b3 U' R( ?( m1 p' Y4 G> 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
6 J! i6 W% Z7 S4 C8 o1 ?7 s> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
* v( Z5 t" {  Y1 v> 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
3 `$ F( D* `' B+ p  _> staff, he offered a question:
3 M7 L; }# c) h; ~2 v7 u( w>
> '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
2 k! Q, }: Q6 \8 E> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
7 ~) R$ Q! {8 a* V6 N> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
8 {2 r6 V# J! a+ f. i2 B; K> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
* A3 r* C6 B8 h> 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
# Q  I7 v+ M9 O+ I5 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,
; E) S! d* q1 i' s* H: B, P+ w> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
- y6 z/ k2 j) `5 {( c> 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
( e: n6 p5 O4 W" }+ j> 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
4 j/ u' ?0 K9 T$ a" L, N> inning.'
) K) Q8 g" `4 J. x' P/ l- G>
> 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
- c1 o! m; ^( X" T0 L> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
9 F2 v# z! C: W& d> 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
* b$ a' i- ~  N3 s1 C3 Y> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
4 O; e4 y1 O' c5 d* x/ S> 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
5 y0 ~& Y8 _6 n- z; w> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
; O8 s/ t/ Q3 z/ y! p5 m( S" K+ D> 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
! X. v( V* I6 f% d' F> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
: z5 b) R* m! F4 B0 g7 S$ c7 n> 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
5 O1 l& T' \5 H3 G8 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
' Z, O- b1 ^1 @3 P> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
$ U% Q* x( V( t8 v2 y  r2 |5 E> 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.
# y! H7 V/ v8 U# K8 \+ B3 j: N# |>
! O4 @: E4 x6 ~> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
& y/ u0 j( r6 ]/ d+ }1 \> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
& l) X0 c) `: k& U3 Q% z) {- i. q, {> 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.
& r( T' f8 J4 Q>
2 F8 G: ^* `  n; V: {3 ^" Q9 i> 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
: k5 w" o: X/ I: k: Q$ r> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ ^7 J. g( m% ~9 U. e> 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,
# }% z7 Y" C$ y1 q% p! ?> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
" i. ^6 G" V0 t; t8 u% V  @  e! ]> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
1 |/ w3 t+ ~( g: M7 T* x> circled the bases toward home.
: W* ?' ~# ]" U- m( ?! |1 n" [>
) S. l) e- P- \0 \7 e4 j# X, \> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
+ o* M9 d" _! B6 @4 h2 g> Shay, run to third!'
1 \+ n% i6 d: z3 v- E>
/ ~/ f. O) O) ~) ~! r4 S) {> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 o- T! U( |3 Q4 L, n* W$ \> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
! d9 a. [6 n& ^$ v: w> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
. j) c* q# R" I( e; h1 U> game for his team.
>
6 n3 I% r' [. G7 [2 ~> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
4 w1 U/ A) e' x* R8 ~* `> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
( T, y( s( u& d/ b>
> 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!
>
- Q4 Y# u0 k% M6 P> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
8 U! n; L+ d5 s" n0 g> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
' {: O( ?" t0 `& W> 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.
>
: A( s/ X  V& }: O3 W  p> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
- D, M. E% V4 a5 `> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
6 l/ ?/ T* n+ O> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
- i3 H; _( h/ _5 y! v( u> 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
> 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?
( [2 k0 g2 c; E8 A/ U>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
, [% s% q1 ~5 ~% ]% _  g, T5 t>
> You now have two choices:
: i1 ~4 L# x& l, \> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
8 l6 C1 J* P3 ^>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.