Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% x9 x; z6 f) O> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
1 N; ~* {. F3 s+ z3 F2 T2 [> same choice?
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7 X) B3 J/ r, S/ r; h$ L: w> 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
  ]- R4 a! f4 R& K! U+ b> 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
. C" g- i: v" G% B4 s> 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
: r8 {) X! y% ?- j: }& J> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
/ {5 |) M- U& M2 w+ L1 M> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! u7 H. D! h4 O' @> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' e9 E3 F# b5 v6 F+ e2 p( Q9 Z> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 ~# G+ ~+ z! D9 U; |" b. g> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
1 O, e8 o: ^& U2 G+ g> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
$ `8 ?; C# ~  \> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
, H# g& X) B8 E. j> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' A& l$ s9 [0 y, _> 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
1 a# x" j1 i, Z" e) j# I# p- }> 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
; ~2 V& W1 ?( g. ~. ^, F6 p, C6 _5 h8 _* m> 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
  F- J1 C9 b* L& c, S1 I# m> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
; m( O: h; {9 W/ x8 X5 u> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
! S: O( l# Z+ M> 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
6 x3 r6 l. k4 t! A* \& Y0 X> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
" e0 |' P/ `7 F> much less connect with the ball.
: T% f4 n* r+ V. K8 X> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
* @6 p( Y6 m$ i( a/ h% L. T) ]  M> 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
( r# S% K- o( c) M) P> 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.
6 c6 w  P0 Q# ]; f- q' i9 W> 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
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
& v' B! u# T; w- A' E> 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
2 L! o0 [  W. T> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
3 {5 [) c5 g5 R, F& Y: ^> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
) g. m+ {7 T5 w# n1 |> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
9 G# }- T0 n, L: z0 W, |1 \> 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
/ Y% z* B$ q' ^7 Q6 [> 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
+ J4 n$ U6 g3 j. Y> 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
; r# ~' D. W7 \) m9 s, |( s> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
- v. s2 O7 g, l> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
2 l) J- h, k0 m3 S7 `  A: y6 c> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
) U' q& I$ p8 H: H& B2 l> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
( y, C5 {1 f0 b5 ~> 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!
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> 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
7 s  B( Z( P, c> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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# j/ z1 T6 F8 F, s9 u5 M( B> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
8 z* J" X# |6 {; B, j" S9 W2 I$ @> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
$ L/ J) V2 c+ B, V9 d& v3 h> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
; r, p. Z9 C$ `3 C! H> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
4 J! C' F" i5 U: P; O: S> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
- ?% N; c; V' c> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
" T! D# B9 D8 ?* @5 R* l> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
9 s* B/ R8 S# G3 d+ S  o2 J> 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
4 }( C( M* [$ V- S> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
' L+ o3 [3 [( b9 q" U> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
# r6 x) {$ g8 Y. j% G0 B: ^> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.