Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
4 }, A$ ^. H9 R& b> 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
4 v5 A# ]3 v' O- a* \! E+ R6 c, E( j. d> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 J# S* }1 ?7 P& l7 \7 i8 k> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
  w. N( u! O0 D. j> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
3 z% u7 P% d, @0 Y$ u" i% b3 \  i> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
$ u! z2 U! D( K0 I2 Z6 u> 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.
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> 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
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
7 Y. w, s! A" L& d( _> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
  X& m- s/ a& M0 k% a' q/ g> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
! q. u* b9 S$ \" c4 {+ f4 I> 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
% T* \$ v, d+ Y/ `, _) G> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 U% O" l: K, h9 K$ L> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
" w/ @& o7 Q+ q5 N$ z' [> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
) o8 ]  z8 g( u2 i6 V2 v> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
3 t# Z; F; S! f) Z$ x> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
1 P) U9 \; z9 x$ W2 [> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
. K' }7 v$ b2 Z4 Q% ?> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
* A) x+ W& a" h# \7 E5 [, x> 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
; z! S' H& {: e0 F. I+ I' b5 q> 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
- z' N! I. e, x: M, x3 N9 l> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
8 |3 q0 t/ d$ }$ Q4 o> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> 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
, B9 C8 B  j; t( d, R" d> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
; n4 x8 _" H. N1 b3 t> much less connect with the ball.
# C5 p( }+ u6 a) M' K$ h> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
" C) |4 ?* k: C2 O> 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
3 w7 ^9 U2 F* {6 R4 g, [> 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.
, X1 T% K! O- v! j! i> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
4 y! J7 q- N0 @> right back to the pitcher.
>
) S5 W& y8 X. n" ]/ ]> 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
! h. ^6 i, p7 G4 ^> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 \$ v. q, F7 |$ a8 i" m& T( @. G> 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
: x7 v, O/ ~4 d* G4 `  a1 m> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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: Y. _8 W, }. z' [> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
" Z9 u4 m% W( a0 l7 v/ O> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
" p5 q) U/ o! w) k/ \; F- ?> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
2 F; h1 R" ]  D! ]9 [& k5 ]> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
$ V: P/ p6 w+ R/ H, g' t' i  C- K> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
> 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.
>
, U+ i+ V+ T2 a' G5 j> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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4 x1 |, o3 n$ ]$ N* s2 \> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 {$ M0 q$ W8 L; p2 D> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
6 u% q4 L. b. j: n+ V+ ]> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 z& [* J2 p1 l  z6 C0 A. b2 P) ^> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
- r) h* m9 {4 Z" F& J7 T> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
4 ]/ y! Z, I5 X! |1 j& z> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
' X) U( D1 _; \7 g' S+ X> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
' `( |) i9 H3 I( w( N7 w+ W% Z> into this world'.
>
> 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!
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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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
! P+ b! r* f, |, P" B7 W> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ D) z0 E# J9 F; S6 I. J5 m6 t2 @> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
6 K9 @9 `; ^  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
6 {5 R& s9 N; Y5 y9 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?
>
) p* B5 b4 x+ F( W2 k* k$ k> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 S$ D" c! _5 m/ v> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.