Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
+ i$ t* ^7 i0 U% D2 L  k, O> 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
> same choice?
>
1 `& h( M$ x8 x6 O+ t. G> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
9 k; E- d6 i8 `+ b# \" m> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
* Q+ O' a: u- b  \7 l4 d  ~, C  ]> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
  a/ W/ K) h0 O7 G' R! q+ e: c5 B> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# r$ B: u, h1 [5 w5 W> 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
% x4 |7 x( n) V, H; b, D. I% b> natural order of things in my son?'
>
* \+ K9 L0 y6 |+ e  w> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
& a7 v" x/ l  F, O. V> 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
4 T& m* f1 k/ J+ Y> treat that child.'
>
. @8 t: G9 @! J6 g2 I) K- t0 ~> Then he told the following story:
>
8 \0 y/ I/ ~; A6 h+ B  F> 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
! @+ h0 s7 z( G8 T9 {! q> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
% ^6 o- G% i7 o9 V" A/ X> 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.
>
+ E# d& V. ]% ?. J4 X3 I- }5 q" n> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
8 o, q+ L. A. {- k* v7 G) w> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
% f' G! r. i# L' ~' d& w8 d> 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
> inning.'
>
. H6 h2 w; I2 p4 b3 Q  y2 v$ y9 ^8 ]> 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
& p5 J: N# `2 i" m' R5 n" b> 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
" c, ^, n- H$ X6 q> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
) I; Q/ J3 F' Y+ q/ o1 a> 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
7 a2 q. |; g: \* {> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
6 [, B/ A9 ~  ^. _" [" d> 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
# n/ ~# M( ?$ B7 c> 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.
% b- ]5 Z% ~# ]  g% V>
> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
. r' _% i6 s8 l5 h5 q4 J! s% ^' K2 R>
> 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
  Q4 M# L( i- G7 j7 T- D> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
7 C( F" N& T$ a! _> wide-eyed and startled.
0 w, W, i9 v3 C/ \0 a>
1 |' D. {- q! b1 ^, c) T> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- y' V+ ?4 c  A  }. w1 z> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
3 ^7 U* m2 C: m> 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
* V; V5 O' g3 z> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
3 p5 u1 @6 k5 J> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
6 C, W; P9 T3 t; Y, I> circled the bases toward home.
* C6 N. G) L# b* \% m: o- q, R>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
- ~( E" k6 I  Z2 F; ~> 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!'
, |3 m% _/ W9 }9 i$ h/ c) h>
> 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
  ~: j" D/ E! r- m7 ~) \> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
8 r7 Y9 @0 S0 r> game for his team.
>
: N6 l- p7 f, q. C, p0 l> '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
, N  \  _7 @, v: M> into this world'.
7 _0 A7 u+ E: [& E# K>
2 p" `/ |9 F% F$ I> 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!
>
" a4 q4 q" H* s0 f6 [. ~- L> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
$ @, I9 P/ z+ w  Z: q, G! E> 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
. S" t- i( c! b# k$ w> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
9 O! S! |- Y8 v; p) H4 _> 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
2 H; {7 ^! _$ R" S! i1 k7 l" w$ H> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
# u9 n. f1 b- d> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
) v! E, Y) Z8 i7 L% d2 [8 J> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
, A. |2 _8 j8 i, P1 w1 ~> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
* Q# i- f! v  G8 G% n" F+ W> bit colder in the process?
+ m, l: P# \: E; |5 P. z, m>
4 J. g! ]; b4 f# `' h> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' S5 [* ~, z) Z, e5 o5 P> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
; |0 E9 x8 O: S1 ?) s>
; ^0 |8 J/ b! H  @4 e3 F> You now have two choices:
+ V) P7 i; J* }. e> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.