Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 l3 a0 n% V% ?3 N1 e> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
; K9 g5 ?2 \, Y> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
* J4 f% l2 e6 T$ b> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' s; W2 c( n6 L1 O' P8 x> 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?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
- w6 s, b  s5 D  g" t2 w2 @: |- K8 @> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ S6 J. @/ X0 a  I, \> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
7 i0 ]* B+ X6 K& @9 v0 \8 G> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 U0 h" q4 U* h' {$ E" `9 b% ?0 x4 Q> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
  K. c7 y# [* m9 X> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
/ y, M6 f& ?0 Y4 P2 Z5 ~. J* O> 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
% l$ q7 v2 g7 f* E/ C( n> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
. W6 c# T) d4 m8 i- F' p: g. W, {7 S> 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
) ]; Y6 d# s1 j" U% ^> 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
0 M9 }' X$ a2 k' {* I  O6 A> 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
" [/ Q; F  N3 G> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
; y5 B4 x. ^5 B8 b7 _* C& X> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
% v7 B( }3 b; ~/ N7 b0 W: p- b" |0 K> 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
! P, x) V7 N6 P& A3 x4 M0 B> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
3 y' I  i7 h" {> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
( `, k" G( {5 F- P. E> 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
> 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
- y, K1 z6 u8 p, {) `" X, g& T> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 z# `" g8 q# Y: r* \( P> 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.
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4 `$ F) _& |$ h- [; t> 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,
3 V; l: h5 m4 @> wide-eyed and startled.
>
. f- i3 M: v. ~6 j, r> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
4 U- W! M: C9 Q# I6 r9 V8 O# |( G> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
3 s* o" [; O- u$ \, k2 m> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
! }8 d5 A- c3 h# O> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
9 C( r% G, m; C3 L4 ~  ~> 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,
# m# H6 `9 S  O8 a* C6 g> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
% ]  h. k. e% p9 Z( D1 x> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
- s( f0 f7 k$ o' L; L>
9 C2 ]. s6 q+ F9 N/ ]: Z6 p> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
1 _- ]0 O4 {5 A- P9 S. ]; Z/ X>
2 W. j5 B3 c) Y+ p: |> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
* k" i6 l/ Y' s+ b  K: n> 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
: Y' t; z# o4 \# L! l0 g, G> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
7 K- k) p) m. X; U+ `& a- ]> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
0 W7 |$ P  M3 u7 {7 a> game for his team.
+ ]7 U7 U) S- A; J$ A2 q  g! S>
' r( r% C+ ^2 n- {& X; z> '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'.
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: b' T3 {3 b6 ~. d+ ?- A> 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
; N+ v, \/ p" ]$ @9 H/ B! V> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
1 c0 N* S1 E( m9 l$ V- W> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
& V$ a* ?9 O3 r: I/ ^3 f, g> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
& J7 [1 y: s9 k$ X7 H' p5 p; a: k- ^> 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.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: M9 |  p- K/ D) ^9 b9 d. B> 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
3 J4 B1 @9 ~/ F  a8 N- S> 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?
0 l: _4 S( h) Q>
# Y8 t$ \2 `/ U1 {3 t, |5 ~0 M0 w. I> A wise man once said every society is judged by
  w8 |0 H# n7 L& g4 c1 O> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
2 N3 ~0 S% X6 D, y+ `7 V6 l3 S+ T> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.