Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 @  p9 a* W3 k: M. x) [5 S> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
% o2 r+ n7 G; f3 p5 q> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
: z$ ^/ V: z: ?4 C: y8 y/ ^+ I> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
, s- _; V, E8 u9 r% i- g7 ]  g> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# G, l+ M# O1 {- W" H- _6 l  a9 q9 r- j> 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
  @8 j" j9 G& G> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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2 W2 y! p+ m* b4 P> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
5 {4 f3 ~% C9 p# _8 j) N. o6 _. R> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
8 I* s! S3 W& r7 b& l9 W+ W# y> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
+ @# c$ ]8 F9 G) X> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
9 h4 G; b+ C3 y5 C& }> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% j$ w6 ~" E% E+ C( |- z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> 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
) \6 {( g! @) d> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
, \' I. {5 q. A> inning.'
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> 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
> 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
> 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
6 \# H" d. u* L> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
& ]0 P( c$ t5 \  f2 B. I> 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.
>
% [7 `& G5 C. k2 x# |> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
6 A2 a4 D( N+ P+ K2 F> much less connect with the ball.
+ S5 {' ^- F2 ^% h> 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
5 y& x8 N. ?9 J! A> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ ?+ M; H, C: q$ B, ]> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
, x$ B3 d7 c# J> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
; j( e3 N$ `& A! s> 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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& c2 ?! A! m7 G4 Q1 f> 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.
  ]4 q  p/ S8 b>
" }! h# ?5 A3 i2 x  Q! S# N> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
$ ]. |% e/ l* D2 g> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
+ o' M* H* J) U% k- V9 K. W> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
+ o9 b: P2 m6 T/ E( L> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
; p9 N: n; P5 S* G9 j; R3 j* B) E> wide-eyed and startled.
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1 x) S3 B9 ~  I1 X> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 D! y- K9 \. T0 f, q  T1 I* o> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
- y7 }* S1 e1 V> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
: X! B  I( D$ |9 U+ M> 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,
+ T( G9 }% o% \. A+ u% I> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
$ L& m% L/ ~' R/ y. A2 E: N> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
, P& q6 K4 Y  \3 T> circled the bases toward home.
7 O6 N2 V7 I( a  }1 ?# B>
> 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!'
>
" _/ y9 C& Y- S> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
( g. k( V( }0 p+ c> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
9 X, B3 B4 x" J> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
' K3 D- E0 g0 w! M, C0 o: c/ B> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 [3 o. [+ x7 u0 s* Z0 G> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
- m5 j+ E9 @& }2 @5 o9 z1 _! C> into this world'.
7 r" m) m0 }3 m6 T! _) j>
& r' F! a$ D7 ^! J> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
! Y1 G! E- e, |3 z  S* _& G* M: x> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
; Q0 J7 c: X5 J1 ]> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
; ~: P2 c! r# D* X/ ?" `+ ]6 ?$ F> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
. N# j* m9 r% [$ }6 V8 V6 j2 \0 _% F> 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
8 a1 n! w  C. P; l- O; H> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
2 S. `* F# j$ V: r>
> 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
> '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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
/ v! Z( K9 R$ Y. \7 L> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
% p& g/ i4 v; y6 k4 |1 B. |> 1. Delete
) n# |4 R. G/ R2 y> 2. Forward
>
" c4 p) U+ T- g> May your day, be a Shay Day.