Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
; Y3 u  ^$ C& h0 J+ F  P- G; W>
> 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
  b4 B5 j+ k* g& z- J: Y> same choice?
>
> 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
8 z0 t& _. d$ v0 D7 v, t& v+ q5 c> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
* U! _  Y' [6 o* w# A> staff, he offered a question:
' h5 t9 y( y, |% ]>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) x1 Y, q+ y" g/ b& r> 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.
( U3 c2 h$ J1 Q% ?/ m>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
6 ~+ s4 ~7 i. o  j* z. a* C> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 T$ F! V: y+ p' b4 f> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
! M2 I) s  s* l" ~1 l7 }+ H>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
* F* N. w2 U( n! N' l' P( O7 R> 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 M" n- n4 E7 p  z4 b# _) j" K7 n> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
> inning.'
$ g2 z+ |9 S, T9 @6 W# k# O; N1 t* [. a>
> 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
: G2 P  p5 {! y- k/ b" u> 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
- \* l. G" {; N6 w- p> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
  _  c6 Q& k$ B& \- l& G$ O4 a> 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
' X7 O; r7 T( w' W> 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
3 p$ \4 k) C* x4 L> next at bat.
>
0 _% g6 |0 m; R2 B2 }> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ j8 n" G3 {' P; W0 O1 ^9 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.
> 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
' ]) B7 @' F1 F5 y. S> 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
* a, u" V9 \" n1 l+ x2 w' _! \> 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
9 c6 ^# ?6 a! d5 J0 Y. m6 m5 i> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
7 b/ C4 h6 T* b# }) ~+ \6 b0 C3 a>
> 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
> 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,
: Z! {4 o' {2 }/ }) K" x) P> wide-eyed and startled.
, ?* z0 W. d' C( w% s# q3 D, K>
> 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
> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
+ m$ F. s) B) W0 H" e> 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
  R8 F; d0 [( c! G; F: B: e$ A7 h> circled the bases toward home.
>
& w  d! p9 `! ]6 [  P* @6 e3 O! S( J> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
2 T6 H& o7 N3 m. V> 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!
" Y+ B" C3 A# f. I' k> Shay, run to third!'
! K  N* A% |* p1 [>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ B; p% A' [% }% L> 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
$ d0 t  J0 v$ W# d' i% `& R> game for his team.
>
9 q- o$ [7 \' h5 E4 @, h> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
) i% }5 ^9 l/ ]5 f> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
: I8 l+ w! ]# x" F- i# i> into this world'.
& a) r8 O( d5 l$ M>
7 x+ A7 a8 z: c0 V( S5 L3 _4 z> 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
- H7 L4 t1 ?7 ]> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
5 V! @3 Y7 ?. ]>
> 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
" t: ^5 F& i1 C. b# Y> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: b. d& W$ B. `' g' ~& M% ]> 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
0 Z3 {* k6 h: `- r6 z> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
/ }( N: e2 e) e0 A" Z6 E6 E' I1 k> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
# D1 |$ C" L: y! k0 s8 U- s* x: q> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 l  }( Q6 c: |> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
8 I, _  D& \; Z9 o$ ?> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
) l% e; w! m1 c( S/ ?' w> bit colder in the process?
9 w+ V5 n3 f- N# }8 i9 p0 t>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- J4 M% E% h) ~7 Y: E7 t> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
5 t; D: c: i0 X2 b% f) n>
, x! H. A0 q* v" p> You now have two choices:
5 g! b4 B* u, b  r> 1. Delete
" G4 ?7 k1 S8 n6 ?> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.