Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 h+ g( m2 Q6 F% B/ x5 F; R& v! Y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
# K6 a' _, |( h; s0 V& u: J. M; S/ t> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
1 T- v3 O: }( E) I; C, J) ~" ?> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
# x  W# o* J& F" t> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# K9 n' z1 O( P' ~3 ~0 t> 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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% A3 N7 z: B% Q6 W0 w) g0 Q> 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
! x- B# u3 B: g5 Q3 }4 k5 X> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
/ X' J6 J. \+ H> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ T# S8 O' s8 }& n) c3 o> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
& a& l1 {0 ^6 \9 U4 I> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
1 f, }+ C0 R$ ]* C$ _> 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.
3 W6 e) r7 N4 P; o4 g>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
! G8 ~- t# s# f3 u; x8 d+ _0 i> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 a9 y! v; k0 A( `2 P9 b) U+ C+ \> 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
& [/ p9 U: x3 d% s- F: I> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
+ B8 f% G; W$ {5 I: E> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
) z9 l; c$ B- \! \- _  i( @6 M> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
. c1 C: x, {2 e' M" T+ H> 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
. B9 f0 ]! i0 ]- Z2 f2 ^> 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
+ h9 ^; L8 G* e: W> next at bat.
7 p1 d- |* b) J/ ~5 C) 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
> 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
, F5 E4 b8 t9 R) m% [5 I> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
# }. h: Q' W: v! Z+ N$ F> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
5 J1 b8 p% m" \! W; T> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
# R+ u: p) W8 P3 R& h; v> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
& ?+ T1 Z' [# I( `& a> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
% A2 O% D1 j$ C' K3 Y8 t9 ~> 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,
0 t' R1 Q% ?$ U: R> 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
; P- I- A0 {3 W+ Z. H6 T> 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
! ]) h* L5 d+ Y$ y  p> 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,
) ^0 f- M1 P% {4 a> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
! k" r9 C: T8 p> circled the bases toward home.
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' @  l& [/ d$ t6 o3 L7 _> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
9 B, `- ^# p9 I, e% |>
+ z, e+ n9 l! Y) v* x> 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
4 H: z8 a) D5 ~8 F* k8 ~. d# x0 b> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
, M5 l% K; X- h% A> game for his team.
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> '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'.
6 R4 z  u' @1 d' G/ }# \) ]>
> 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 ~! k+ y) U2 j" f! y1 H> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
6 F* J5 u, e9 [( A9 K) d2 Q+ i( X9 D>
$ p7 \- ~' w* Y! ^  y! z> 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
# m( b, j+ E) C* G9 r( M% r8 W6 s> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
+ _% [( d2 n3 y/ r: p( F, A> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
: i) X! u9 k/ }4 w( g2 p5 K3 h; D> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
5 O: a# ~  ]6 v> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
% T* V% n/ I  k! Y> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
: X9 o) D' Y$ w: ^, x& M3 E> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
7 S4 \- s' ^3 U  g" `> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
% k0 C* ^5 O& e0 P6 t9 B" R% B& w> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' D( |. R2 {& r  K# m* o/ {& i> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
7 x2 f0 s9 M  |1 ]# E5 S> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
/ X$ K/ m0 R0 J/ W0 K0 ?5 w& v> May your day, be a Shay Day.