Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
- W6 r: k6 B" w; l7 `3 r2 P6 n> same choice?
& [; I0 V! _/ _' B" k( U>
> 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
5 H+ v: _5 |5 V4 d  @- U> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
' m, j) w. }+ H: ~- J> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
8 }  {" B- M1 x  A5 Y% m> 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
8 i. u& ]* t/ |> natural order of things in my son?'
) a: o" z. c* d/ u>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
, t! i- G* w5 u! {> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% F  \8 u  x* |> 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 j, [) `# ?+ U1 N. O> treat that child.'
>
2 I( i+ ?+ ]) t9 e) l> Then he told the following story:
3 [5 G, Z) c1 _>
) w2 h0 n+ K. Q  `5 X9 g+ D! H9 R> 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
2 Y% x6 z5 ?4 F+ o> 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
- t2 Y& s# a; `5 V3 ~0 w( a: H9 }& D> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
+ q$ E$ X) m: Y& F" Z9 ~>
! ]8 H. [, I/ u+ n4 s& i8 y2 l> 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
" _6 M% }( Y6 C& H> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
3 \. f' P: H/ Z) I3 R$ H0 @1 }0 e3 [> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
% O5 R1 X! u) [# y>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
0 u. n- D# p% _$ @9 v> 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
5 S( t0 ^( g+ n- l> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
% ^% F3 I, w% d3 C# m> 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
> 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
# I3 F( z# m, Y+ |9 G4 V> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
3 |8 X) o" C9 d" ^>
: ]2 h* s& Z- M) Q: N+ |> 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,
% M/ O% v  ]1 e/ o> much less connect with the ball.
* T9 k9 m0 B) g& _/ {> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 F, y& i8 }0 a* l& Q' k) [> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
. R3 P% a1 M4 n7 ?+ |) R2 W. ?0 U6 b> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
6 _. c; O3 }& ]. k/ Y( t& N> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
# M; G+ Z+ j, \> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
7 y5 H6 k" M/ M- r7 c& w4 i$ \> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
+ n8 ]( B. N% Y, _) t> 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.
>
) v, g- W# s& {4 u6 k; v- \> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
: x3 T& V% N: X: D3 C/ Q0 D4 w" B( q> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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" t8 i5 p$ Y( ^> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
: C% Q: E# f" i> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
' m+ [) ^; e1 Q) x. z- X; d9 ?> 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
* [4 F; j# h( w; H> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
" I1 y) |- [5 x) z> 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
5 i& [  w% P8 t9 {  @> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
* Q% m) d" S% f- U2 F> Shay, run to third!'
>
5 r" m3 h. i- e: q; ?( ~0 p/ C2 W$ ^. 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
; Q/ K* e% s; B> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
7 C% T* H( l1 S8 J! }3 \: D>
> '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'.
>
' E/ Y/ T! _  J' {! G, {) f2 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
: L% k4 F. X. h% h> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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: o9 q1 w+ b% J6 D  w* U. |2 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
/ s7 D% t$ E) y> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
. g9 u9 Q5 l$ f- v3 Q8 D% y2 p> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
: K% Z) A& v3 H" O> 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
> 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
' p4 k  s& P' v% l8 d; y2 Z2 c: X> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
/ y9 ?+ U7 {: T9 E& j9 z+ [7 }> bit colder in the process?
% [2 {) ?+ ~1 |: R>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
. x! `+ a+ n4 _. I( ], P7 s* @> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
4 v3 n! ~; ^0 f4 G> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.