Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. S+ a& T+ v$ H" l4 Z4 `3 Y  ^% y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
7 F6 t* i5 ?! V, U+ [> same choice?
! X1 q6 ?/ J& R8 C8 L6 H>
> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
* @1 ?7 ?/ ?& y" b0 C/ s6 n6 a> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
/ p+ N) P3 c/ a>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! N' e* k1 c3 s% Y! S> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
* q3 _7 C8 V$ [5 X+ o. a+ k> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
5 B2 a& d9 ^8 g> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 ~4 F8 x' ~1 z> 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
9 s3 ?, [& U; A& x' ~> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
5 a5 F. [) H2 d5 ?: @> 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
$ @+ ?+ U. n/ ?% E# J* Y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
6 d3 T5 R' _8 i5 E3 x6 {  Y- U+ o1 E> inning.'
8 H; R  K6 P; ~7 O8 s( ?* J>
> 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
$ Y3 `/ u  ]% V: Y5 p> 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
- c. }$ g( U2 N% G4 M) O> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
5 }0 p$ }- i1 G& e' e9 j> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
' ]. z, p) v2 g> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
2 Q1 q& e7 z8 b. r! x1 ]> 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.
2 K0 f  ]0 B# `. E( z>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
3 G( X% L: y! F* ]( M> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
6 d% w- f! j- n  C> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
  q9 H/ C0 k1 A> much less connect with the ball.
2 n2 H/ U) K4 [* P2 w8 {: I> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
; S  e8 L; A( j- y: g% J5 X0 ^1 x> 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
: k1 N  F' b/ S> 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
# }% |7 l+ M- N" J> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
% o% c7 Y3 `  ^) {+ _& \! }% N> 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.
" `' I0 d& n8 O>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
$ s, h' _. F# p, U& @> 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
6 s1 Y2 y# j0 \+ B* @& p0 Q> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
  E1 L3 u# J8 F& [2 i> wide-eyed and startled.
5 g( X( Z( k/ [3 t$ f7 {* z>
# W9 l$ J% q- D> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
; |3 a7 H3 y$ Z/ t4 E3 {: O& ]> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 f9 F! i# K# f* U. B- V> 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
- Z7 f/ G3 k- j+ n! j% e+ W> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
* f8 c0 D( K' o  m9 T* m) r> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
2 o- K4 p: N: J6 W+ c: Q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
. b# j- Y' W  c  S9 j. U9 Y; u> circled the bases toward home.
! I# {+ c5 K4 n6 V1 g>
+ i+ b5 _: H4 h, R. i/ |2 ]3 C> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
/ r0 ~2 r; J3 c* x: I0 h> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 Y5 M5 {5 W7 p9 S> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
' [) S$ |) x. v2 q: b; T! Y>
% J( A# |, f8 E. w/ _> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
& p: [( {5 ?1 Z4 M# I+ J) z4 T3 K* {> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
+ c6 K5 Y* Z' f- F> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
/ n. E7 X3 N; B* x1 {% Q5 H>
. V: J" r; W+ H% o/ O% o. M> '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'.
: f" ~' ]" s+ L+ j>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 _. _9 X/ @9 h5 u6 |+ X6 o: N> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
- \$ `( \: M% X/ I> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
) U) R& W8 O$ E0 ^$ P  ~, |> 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
> 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.
>
. T8 \3 q- A) _' [1 y( g6 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
6 K$ e$ M7 d2 }9 V, z> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
9 f  K% H5 j% s4 o  R' W; d> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
5 |! _& o/ ~/ [> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
" u6 B' ^1 Z. }6 M" v0 H* C- t> 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
( o" \/ a0 ^- @* y/ L* ~. f0 v2 D> bit colder in the process?
>
! E6 i2 N- r) @7 @: w, D9 R> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
: m4 U* f( k/ D" M> You now have two choices:
: k' ~$ b$ _& b  p& l+ Y6 m> 1. Delete
5 M* s) i" {6 G( o0 w) A' K> 2. Forward
+ C7 G) D2 }) d; S; d( e2 f>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.