Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 {) |+ y% @9 ?& s> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
" k. x+ V$ I& G4 g  W/ j) W> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
0 T5 o& N% p; x8 \9 s" B> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 G+ G; H8 `0 x9 }7 U# s> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
, n1 e- H% T$ x8 Q3 [> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' h4 p" c0 q6 S$ v6 O0 H, i, U> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
! O# U% J5 }5 V9 ?> The audience was stilled by the query.
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0 w, a1 n' R0 |/ `- ?> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ F% {  F# `0 @> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
7 H4 ~1 ]: e( {/ S>
4 g4 V5 R( m8 y- h6 o3 o> 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
" u" l1 p0 a. ?+ I> 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
! Q# G+ y( Z' p: X" [6 a/ a> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
; S/ J0 Z  m! l/ D9 c> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
" |; }4 {7 c7 ]! L3 h$ V> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
6 g8 P- d! W% \! u# m# e> 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
- n8 ~3 ~0 X# r1 M: q> 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
% f; J$ ?% X% x! B6 [0 `: @> 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
1 Z; T" \; O3 ~1 Q& `4 W% i. G/ [! H; }> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
/ P/ {, ~4 R" K8 A1 z6 s2 C+ q> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
2 r" N7 ]7 ]  A0 t> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ W2 B& {5 F+ u4 E> 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,
5 b% L: G% e  ]- i$ z" I> much less connect with the ball.
1 ?. e3 t2 s3 y8 M3 P> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
0 e6 c+ U5 [3 @1 Z4 x: |> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
; |9 V0 A% w- C- a> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
5 z& L0 S! V$ G% p# C+ o, J! }+ E> 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.
>
5 B2 n" t: Q5 F8 o/ _9 E% E9 s. S> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 y& @3 Q' t% K: \" s8 O. U# N> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
9 J  K  U- G$ f, ?  v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
+ c4 [8 X7 X! @- o% `> 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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, @8 O: G: ^& P1 l# _8 ^" E> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
& t$ x# I* z; M* q> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
9 g" {3 r' L) G; |1 R5 D) N> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
* I) O8 x5 a$ r# \) A9 e> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
$ v& o! e* X  i5 A# ~, X> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
$ e3 T; j( p" _# a> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
6 J6 d2 e( a$ g- e& U) P> 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!'
>
; W1 }- u3 ^' \* M; G> 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
$ Q% D: j( E, D( G* X> game for his team.
>
/ A) d+ y5 p6 o. V> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 `: T$ F* T5 C3 `% a8 Z* X& b> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
4 N+ ^: ~5 [$ T4 t! e2 K3 d>
, m5 r6 K  d1 o) L+ R* R- M> 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!
>
2 w( N5 p1 P' V4 ~( D1 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
' b" ?9 p* @- e. [5 y' |> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
2 V1 u8 e  |# E: Q> 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
. D" K% n/ h2 B! }* `" S, Y6 u' e> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' T) Z, c- W5 q' U# }! `5 }) c> 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
8 |* h4 E( C8 @  S6 n6 a> 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
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
5 H- D" A( W+ ~6 S: j$ h/ E>
/ W1 A3 h# y. |0 ~> You now have two choices:
1 x4 q0 E6 ~. O9 b> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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: }1 v. L2 Y% C+ |$ o* C3 u- r( L> May your day, be a Shay Day.