Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
$ N2 e, o# w* W0 O- g: Z" G6 f> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
) O) P* z' C; H> same choice?
>
3 b0 W+ N6 g  j4 y! K6 f+ B% z+ l> 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
; S! q: K% e7 H! G# f6 s( e& `9 h- f> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
! }6 c0 j1 z. [, x! P> staff, he offered a question:
>
5 T& i6 h; N7 \4 J) `+ @> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
/ U  g# B" M/ Z7 j# G9 ]> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
  c$ ~3 I5 m& X/ \) h> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
/ S8 k- z7 v' M3 W' r. H2 B> natural order of things in my son?'
1 O* ~1 r. X' d; Q  m% W# I4 d>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
( `  U# _; Q" b>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
9 c# Y: Z2 r$ X/ R+ c; E; U2 w: R> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ A3 K) {1 C8 D# q2 O> treat that child.'
" w' H' n0 D- @! N; }% S$ ~7 o>
> Then he told the following story:
4 }7 o5 |4 Y$ N& o& C>
; |$ M6 H, O& ?> 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
> 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.
# |6 P7 _8 c$ h1 E0 L/ Q3 U>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& z  T* p$ z! i> 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
7 [% L) D  G+ U( s5 T' A9 h: s> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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; m( }; t! S; g. ~) p7 A/ b. d> 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
2 J4 d' J# ~2 q! W2 P, C0 E> 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
7 d% @' u9 e$ m> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
2 i4 A0 M2 h" [> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
. V9 C/ M0 f9 K* r3 U3 _> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
0 n' o  y6 A9 r> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
" P0 c3 h1 |7 \) n# A> 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,
& Z- |/ Z5 P' ^3 K  o9 L> much less connect with the ball.
+ y5 r1 B) |  h+ u! x/ I; K> 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
' Z  O; _1 G9 Q/ r) h$ W" [1 g> 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
& i7 w; a( S* Q! p5 `> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
2 R7 v/ A/ f. z* m$ U! [> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
1 N! ]3 r4 L. S: v: P, t- |3 J> out and that would have been the end of the game.
3 _7 W2 P4 n8 [. O>
( U' T: C% Y, z" L0 D8 B# D: Q> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
, U- l8 m: V( C) P> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
) V2 C+ P% F: ^/ h> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 s( n. P, s9 x: L$ \> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
# y& H0 U; x3 T2 a> 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
> 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
' k; E, y3 T# `! ~% D> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
: m+ a" K( b- n+ K, Z5 d( A> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
5 A+ r( s* d& x( R1 z>
> 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!
: t/ ?2 w' Q" l& S; d: [0 v> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
5 B3 e/ o+ \8 H+ i7 S, Q* F> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
" D6 o& S9 P- _& `: U> game for his team.
# \+ G# \' T0 B9 T>
> '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
+ Z4 [3 m, N+ {> into this world'.
>
, n9 j0 X& w2 m6 y3 V% t> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 F; }% u/ ]6 @7 d) Z> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
3 d& k+ y# p7 l1 Y' U$ ~> 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
' B" j, X6 ]5 N' y) R( B+ b: N> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
  o# q( `( K; N0 A( I> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
) e% H- @1 k( [& n/ `> 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
  ]; _. \; M$ c" A( J> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
' S8 f% `- N) C7 o1 V> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
> 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
) ~0 d8 }; Y6 H> 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
. z, [- B% \/ f- `5 b> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
! D9 {8 G& V3 i2 K% q>
, z( a. s8 c( o. A8 C/ j> You now have two choices:
$ Q1 }0 o8 K  q5 a; h( b& @% t> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.