Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
# f% y/ M5 }& Q5 |! Z>
" P2 R" J. Q  p7 y) h> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
# x! i0 P8 m1 ^$ V; U. B: R+ @6 `# s> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
/ @' g; r5 c% z$ X9 f6 N3 Y> same choice?
+ D3 a% D+ @* K>
> 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
* U6 |5 G1 A4 H- H5 d> staff, he offered a question:
; y4 X/ I) L2 b>
> '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?'
>
# l7 G9 G0 p" _3 |> 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
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
0 b* ]: G# m6 B, r0 d2 p>
> Then he told the following story:
>
+ @; D2 K7 M4 }! v, s7 G+ X> 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
+ D! ~4 S# I* @5 D5 V: ]> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
  r$ \2 b  P  {6 G$ T+ V) f> 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
> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
  |0 R1 u, r; u4 P> inning.'
>
> 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
# h! Z2 ]5 |8 f% _* T" l> 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
! K2 A: N, C+ }> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
9 \  h% @# c: ]6 g( Y>
> 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
) |: K9 f1 s) N( `2 k> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
# E' F. [" r, p6 @. p& s  M2 V, Q> 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.
. |$ H, x4 E) d  v6 T0 \! w2 u> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
6 a3 q+ T9 q. x>
> 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
4 U, M) W, d* P- U> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
2 {0 v( q/ Y. @, z. o> 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 z+ o$ z- n5 r; X2 D6 J> 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.
>
9 _- |  Z+ w& T- h> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
* ^' i7 @! Z/ c6 Y) `. }  H6 a9 x> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
9 |# d' F% ^# H+ o. r> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ l( S9 `# ~* K> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
& ~% d; n6 R8 m+ {7 J+ 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
: S' s" j" B* f/ q- ^7 w> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
( G# K7 x% `, e; O/ o5 T; G1 b>
$ q/ w9 x% D) A5 ^6 F' q> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
$ b; e4 p7 R# e: r- i$ b# f- n> 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!'
; _) X4 l/ K1 o0 m* }  D>
> 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
) F$ u) p9 F- ]; D2 {; g/ v, \: T> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
3 m6 X% l' ]; a3 f+ D+ [" z> game for his team.
>
/ Z) b7 I3 ?' |> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
) u2 E9 _+ Y$ w8 r' \> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> 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
5 J" [+ @$ }! v> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
0 K) V1 W9 n: m- f2 s> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
" m4 A9 ?% f8 _0 m! E) a>
> 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
+ [& Z9 J5 D% z: ?$ W7 G4 _> 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
: V8 f# o4 ~" n6 r> 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
8 F6 ]; u$ A9 e1 R6 E$ D> bit colder in the process?
1 p" Q! }: ?7 N# S; j2 Z>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
. U1 q0 q% y5 q' J' p% x>
( w2 I: h7 Q8 f; G> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
9 F2 u$ ^9 k7 ?* h8 ^9 M9 k8 m> 2. Forward
* O  C8 h* M; L- D3 A( e! N>
# [: g! ?' K$ K" F> May your day, be a Shay Day.