Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 m5 v" |/ g: T' G> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
* i/ I* v' v3 n- B- Z> same choice?
>
0 N# q2 r8 u2 a> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
, e' a. {5 D* [> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
) I  W/ H( k7 ?' v# {> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
/ G/ f" m5 E4 Y8 e>
> '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.
* u3 h8 e+ N. \>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 E- \0 a8 [+ n> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ F- s/ [% Z6 |5 h> treat that child.'
>
! P8 q+ r# n, ^* I/ I5 V> Then he told the following story:
0 |  j0 D6 R9 I( N( v>
4 M9 {% ^7 |/ ~7 V  {7 T- ]9 R6 M> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ c& X2 N2 w( [' J# [! _> 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,
! P2 o& y1 [+ @: I> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
' \1 z: V7 I' f7 T% c* a4 x> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
; @# T/ m: B; f, p4 n. L1 D: N> 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
$ j( E- b" k. o5 R6 b0 o. e> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
  z( y1 |" }  ^+ r3 U, ?) w$ K: w> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
( C0 X: x( z! c8 t> inning.'
>
0 |5 l/ B! `% `( I  g> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ X+ O$ o) c$ c  F+ P6 H> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
! }( V- A& G3 q7 d; M, M> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
/ ^% @8 u& x# o4 u- l> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" F: ], ~+ F8 J> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
5 b; t3 n4 w# s8 l5 |( @> next at bat.
>
! y, g2 i( j; {0 t4 O2 f- D% y> 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,
> 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
6 ?% N7 I! m0 Q& H$ c> 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.
7 T% A! q  f- T> 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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> 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
0 g0 w; i& q/ t/ s# G> out and that would have been the end of the game.
& _& D8 z6 c% {! F>
2 y0 B3 b( N6 y0 r6 \$ ~9 k! o> 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,
0 q( w( J3 U8 a# v7 s> wide-eyed and startled.
3 y' G% F) S/ G( v% I5 V1 X>
. J0 m- I& z/ j> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
. ?6 Q$ l- }0 N> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
; n; k; V+ u) L& k> 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,
9 p$ \+ c! O. f( t2 Y! u> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
8 M9 j# E2 ~5 h  a0 _0 c0 n> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
" ^6 w( @* K( P+ E4 o/ u4 N>
2 s7 B! v# H2 Y( B, D( k, E$ 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!
& F' H* h( A6 \2 D' K> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
$ N# \! o5 M; d6 {) T> game for his team.
>
6 K- K1 B7 ~2 d& G% }0 `> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 K1 A2 L: p; q. @1 ~7 n; d% H; c> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
" `  ]; P$ ]/ K, G! m( ?1 f>
> 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!
>
> 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
( U8 C2 \1 v1 M. ~% I> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 @, i4 W# h; C, t* }# h> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
; `: y! H4 k- |0 _* p" S# r4 u) z> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
0 D; _7 G% o7 p' r# |> 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
& U) M- E$ C- a, a1 I$ w  s> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
6 C8 c7 Z0 k+ X3 ]8 A; b3 w  N0 G> bit colder in the process?
: m6 L1 j8 Y7 E2 J" m9 I& M>
  q7 g2 @5 q8 N> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
' P. H' k2 }" E/ m3 Z: P>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.