Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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5 g* K' D( s) h  ]7 ^8 @> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 ]& q" b- J; f) R> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  E, d6 j( P  m9 ^  L> same choice?
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- m/ L4 Y# c+ w4 C$ L> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
1 P! C7 L; K% Q1 N/ L  e% q& H% y> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! @% s! l8 i' S3 m8 P/ G> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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( k% K3 ?5 Z( X" e' I> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 R$ m* b. \3 T, m> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% C' U. a% Y; I- I! R7 E: C2 ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
( G9 Q: q1 N, H) s8 n2 b1 \4 d> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
  a3 i( |% Z& v' H> 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
( R2 ]! F4 T6 e( `" y6 _> 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,
) P  x3 f- w7 {9 D* Z6 }8 B& t> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
: ?, [4 U7 y3 w6 v1 j> 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
5 T2 ^  J9 A6 m3 @  ?. F  `9 k> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
! _' @0 S0 k/ [! Y3 B& Q> 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.'
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1 s; ?& X+ [  e3 G> 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
# P, E  A8 N( J! {> 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% e; W2 Z3 ?% g4 V" _- j> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
: t. ?" a: ~+ F! l& s> 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
' O  X- q. i) T: b' d  L> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
" U, q* H; T2 n. H+ P> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
; b  m9 l; I* s: Z2 d7 o: v> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
" L+ Z( q: l8 g- u7 K* F> next at bat.
>
+ D4 N# ?' X1 \& p$ M- W9 {4 Y> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
8 O; F& Q3 R- r# D; q1 @> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
7 T( D/ f4 U: l) l, s- i> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
" k* e  R( M; |! c7 v  }+ V0 [& D> much less connect with the ball.
# c9 w# w+ G9 i* r- C2 K> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
0 Z  I  E* \" Q: U& I6 L: |- i> 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
> 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.
" z' F/ P: X7 t0 h: h+ v> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
! E1 j! i/ N* T/ j  D> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 U2 q, Z3 l+ n! b- [3 i9 p> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
7 n$ P' G, _+ K$ H! |% Y+ i> 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
7 o% E. D- m7 m, X4 {  Q( r> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
" P/ P% n# t) Z/ ~- M. R& u6 D> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
) F% ?& X' j5 K( b, Y> wide-eyed and startled.
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. p- e! ]0 u/ @  X! h! y8 y: P. C  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
+ B" H; ]( s/ Q$ Y- M, t! S> 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,
' F  z' g' e: Z" C> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
4 U% U2 C9 E4 p> 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!'
>
- l  K; v7 D) 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
' c0 c- n3 j! L> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
3 c6 }/ ^- s6 {% g  a& D> game for his team.
>
> '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
+ w4 c! Y1 y2 N! I" F> into this world'.
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% y* s: k0 K/ J3 T7 R> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
" _* X3 B% g3 S9 m  A1 i4 L> 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
( F0 v8 G2 E+ \3 T5 H  O$ C> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
% u( o3 O. Z! e+ Y8 m2 J! s> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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" N! N' d- i2 q6 k2 S: s' v> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 n4 k. U" Q. u7 v* O> 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
3 N# e5 q& F3 ?8 ~( x+ i4 B% ~5 \> 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
7 v$ B1 u! I1 Z- Z( L- X) C, j+ h> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
! X. j2 ~5 h4 }6 k0 d> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
3 H6 k' l  v1 L0 W> You now have two choices:
  a0 b2 o. w) w! ]! T' K0 o% Q! H4 S> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.