Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
( p( M0 o! C: I, M  S0 N. L& t- V( s> 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
5 F  k3 l' ?' \: E  Z> same choice?
/ j4 I' `5 V* y' t: Y- F>
7 k/ W! h+ t8 }' B> 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
3 k" t5 F3 k4 E, m$ ]  L9 U> staff, he offered a question:
>
( m. e7 q7 s5 Q; D; Q- a> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
" ]* j5 L6 q4 H& F5 ]> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
5 J5 w* o4 Z# @' k4 H% V> natural order of things in my son?'
) ?$ B, t" f: C6 C>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
9 x0 Q- l% w5 D; j0 L> 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.'
9 C8 j# H' A9 ^3 `>
> Then he told the following story:
>
; v- B( I  G# u, G: P5 @> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
! A; c: s" O8 E- ]$ z3 G> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
4 O; l) U" Y; d> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
) y% g( A9 U) i" a> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( @) |: ^  k( Z! n> 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
8 Z+ O" D, m3 F/ a2 \, J> inning.'
9 P% Y6 D& n/ e& c3 o>
- \1 x+ A1 u+ Q8 }> 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
! L4 _, i+ e& ~' D> 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
/ G* R+ R" w" n8 }0 n/ x) v. n2 \  d> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
" j7 U+ Z! [  R* a7 ]. p' p> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
1 d* H; m; e% W, ^/ l> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
) Z9 f! x7 f- X2 A5 `3 u> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
& x0 ^  g% p  p0 d# L% W> 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,
( d8 W+ e7 O$ m+ p. ]2 R> much less connect with the ball.
& s7 S! ]# L- N# V. S> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, ?+ Y0 Y& ?( \* V0 F( P) ~> 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
' q9 \$ c$ k5 c7 R> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
7 Q$ K) ~) k4 N. H2 d  Y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
& p7 g' `4 [1 ?# W' ~( N>
& r2 |: x, d& O7 |' M> 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
* j* u/ X9 p$ H> out and that would have been the end of the game.
8 o( A  }; k* P8 h>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
# t; V# q$ H( k2 S> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
/ R0 C/ J; q; N7 j  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
- ~* ?! m- u7 K1 [7 L( o1 T> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
0 b. W# |9 ~" U1 l$ c6 s> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
5 k. g( k5 @" p7 Q/ L2 |6 q! n  f> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
& h/ o0 ]; f* [5 {>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
4 C3 t; }6 K7 j8 _4 z7 M" d4 A> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
0 a; q% i$ `- c2 F* j$ l> Shay, run to third!'
>
& |: ]& c, `% b+ w5 @7 n# W* X> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
% M2 \3 @/ J+ ^* b9 K> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
4 X6 s0 T% M4 G6 e> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
8 o/ S+ T: r- A  x>
> '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
> into this world'.
0 M; i5 E7 r4 k$ `1 k- r3 P* F' u>
$ F2 w# J3 ^0 E+ ^3 y> 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
. v5 Z% U: G! ]; |) [5 z; ?0 f# a> 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
" u/ J0 e5 X6 o( i% G7 i- A. h% {* p> 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
2 {1 K; ?3 k) m2 `2 H+ r; v/ y) C> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ j" D- e+ F3 M7 e" E' U; i> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
# g" B) e0 V. T3 k6 C>
- c* V; [) ^. D" J; [/ ]2 W( w2 A> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
3 [$ Y! Q3 z7 d! G2 M+ m" Y9 M% K1 J> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
- _8 y! |: s4 `( W' Q> '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
9 k# I9 \3 X# d6 y* Q4 R> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
$ `# W8 G, j# ]) \( F' d; g7 {> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
! z5 G3 m. p: I>
> You now have two choices:
0 T) U  ]6 m+ O+ V4 J$ p! b> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
; x1 K  r( m& X1 C' V>
$ F+ |. D6 T9 a% t> May your day, be a Shay Day.