Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
- U* }# s- o# W1 R% C) b- m> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
4 k  g, Z0 w) E1 J4 q4 [4 I+ B- s5 i> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
0 a0 U! G4 B/ u9 C. k2 j> 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
4 P3 b9 I' r: p5 M; x1 F> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
1 I% t* K/ _7 {) s" w1 ?% }> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
+ D- L5 [! ?: B, E9 S* O> natural order of things in my son?'
>
6 {/ H5 _- X1 m* q4 E0 L  A! E> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
2 g* s+ l3 s( w$ o5 A4 |> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
" h) Z2 N& K! F0 C> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
$ ~" a9 @1 |  q6 s9 \5 o> Then he told the following story:
>
, N  S; _6 _, r- p; Q4 A! 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
) t/ |" e# M: X> 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,
6 Y2 ~9 F( h3 m$ T! n# @. G> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
7 Q' ^* g* ]$ x- n1 D9 e>
0 ~  T+ p( n6 S  n> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 b- ^$ A) A5 A& S/ x> 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
1 y: c' e  r& Z8 ~5 {% y: S> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
6 Q7 q5 _' Q* G! H>
> 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
! D' s% Z7 E7 G- m6 ~& I4 n> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
0 e  }3 }6 q  U4 x  A& p6 Y> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, ]% c0 D& `2 E7 C7 f8 `0 [7 Q9 [) 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
( P% @" Z/ ?( T& I- D- I/ q1 d> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
! M! y3 m$ V9 i8 ?8 G" W> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
9 Y: B, s0 p6 [. d2 m> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
* o* \; w8 O5 Z9 B% d& n> next at bat.
>
6 }# n, i. Q+ Y% S) ?> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 q* ]5 z4 ]: r+ z> 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.
( A3 A5 @) L" V> 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
' m1 G3 D0 z3 |* a> 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.
3 z7 X* A/ \5 A* ?0 s> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) ~3 R+ @" z$ F" X> right back to the pitcher.
>
! f7 ?+ w. c4 v2 s: ~( ^> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' R& G" V9 `0 h3 L/ y; o( [> 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.
>
> 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
4 I9 ]; ?+ z; K) ~: 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,
& }  q' A3 [2 ~> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" s( ?% o9 f# w  L# Y2 Y> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% z# R0 c' A0 [6 Z4 L> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
/ x% z3 N' e3 v0 E> 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
6 M+ l; V6 M" H7 q! L> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( R, w, \/ }) i6 y! z4 t> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
8 M4 A8 k* }+ A3 Y% q" S. @> Shay, run to third!'
+ @# S1 B: e, C5 n; M  J>
> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
. L3 F+ H( e) L: ~> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
$ C; d$ t4 r( \$ x% x/ Z& [> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
$ ~" s. Z; q  q: b& X9 i4 D1 P) {> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
% x/ F1 G! u$ m> 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
' o% ]7 M: n8 X6 |+ D> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
/ w9 r& \1 R- u  \* X! m1 H5 h> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
5 U' v' V8 Y2 _+ w5 ]9 c>
9 x5 N5 ?$ t( }, M> 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
$ q& N( o  m# ~, H8 e" H- J> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
) e3 a: @) I7 N6 V8 n1 Q) @; 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
  I3 O/ k* x) J& u> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
) \- S% Y: `7 z# q> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
, W8 k& s; a1 m% a> A wise man once said every society is judged by
: X; q0 H! V$ @9 i> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
0 i- x+ p8 s' G/ t3 v4 k>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
# E7 U* q; k, `( i4 t> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.