Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
' V7 c  J1 w0 g7 D  i9 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
+ W) o: z0 K3 _> same choice?
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9 o8 |) ]. z. k> 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
( X& ]2 H$ U5 v5 N6 I1 P# `5 X> staff, he offered a question:
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' g/ q( X; B" U4 B5 g3 k- w> '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
$ v# b8 P- d5 H  n5 ~> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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1 K3 P# y7 [% X/ z5 \0 ^> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 T* t' a. w5 U- y) W. o& j4 A> 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.'
>
  |2 V& j. Q) U) f* B- g> Then he told the following story:
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4 v; B3 F( r1 P7 U7 C> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% M0 h4 f% q% f1 m6 r+ o8 n> 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
5 g; [1 ^3 @  t; n> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 t( c7 K0 n* r8 ^5 [: z$ G> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
; W5 V3 y6 W8 s: a' R/ t2 D> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 o: i/ `5 k/ \! _: _3 b( Z2 V> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
* l) h& J* x9 j& K! K+ y, C> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
5 x4 Z  |7 W  n( F: G> 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
* E, P/ e& c: G) G6 z> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
3 M- Q0 c' |# J+ H$ S4 H> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
6 {- Q1 f+ m7 q! K& j- H> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
( u) U. b' Z# |0 {> 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.
>
> 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
7 ^( }3 p# M. ^! ?( E- F8 p> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
* x) W7 T; B1 b0 k> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 B! e4 u8 Q# w) e8 n) [> 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 @% r! D3 x7 r# E: r> 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.
% N: J- c! L& L- h- I5 p! q> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
2 s; Q6 x0 c- X* G- C> right back to the pitcher.
>
: X6 o4 p$ Y7 W+ L; I5 H7 e> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
; J8 M9 E% i9 D- H. Y$ j/ k( m> 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.
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: z" c6 _/ F& x5 V> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 ^5 C0 Y) m2 I: R> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( y) N9 v- E+ j, h& w& |> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
3 J& j4 W% d- ?" v: h2 s> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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7 H) Y7 A& w% `, x# ^  t. K> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
0 \+ o# B9 A1 T1 }) \> 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
6 o* ]: w! ~  g; D> 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
1 ]* V0 a( u; g, B# u> 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
+ o7 I% Z& _- z8 o" u  Y4 Y7 i> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
4 k8 r1 R% F/ j. ~> circled the bases toward home.
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: y4 ]" R. \6 l5 Y" _, \> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
! D5 n; X" ^2 o> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 ]) S4 O0 s' w+ [/ r1 ~> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
8 x% e, q; R1 S% L9 v  d  S> 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
) q3 A1 ^6 S5 H> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> 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
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 j  [+ y6 _3 K: B, J- C& T8 ?> 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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5 Q6 R% ?& c8 N" l, ]6 W> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
0 A) W( a  X0 C+ p; p% B  ^' ^> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 U. o5 O7 h* r* ^6 n$ T> 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
: ]& ?& }% F9 a2 ^$ Z1 T6 W9 u> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
- i8 E9 f. M) g> 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
( k$ D& u  Z* y) e> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
( `/ b% a- o" m* A! ~7 n" @>
> You now have two choices:
$ d: v4 M+ t7 @  h! D: y, h( j& ^> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.