Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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1 l/ D! V# _# }% u: W> 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
  p/ p$ k# Y5 {& ^" o' Q> same choice?
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9 \) H$ {2 {+ d7 f9 S& i9 a& 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
7 O0 Y0 _$ p: s- a% v0 Q# U( Z> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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# R. c# s! e1 ~/ j" j) y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
; e5 X3 p! z1 P' u3 N' W> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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1 B% p( v9 B5 f9 f0 I" _> 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
  F$ B8 }9 z* L) _# D. b9 j> 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,
! x% j2 ?" N) d6 |) i> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
/ A) I3 I7 g2 m& y> 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
: f1 q8 K% Y# N: Q> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
' G! a+ y- M1 Z( Z) x> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
$ L  t4 h1 X" w7 l6 p# Y3 d( X> 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
+ M3 r) x0 V# p7 z- O( B0 K> 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
* S8 V! E. b: J, P" m  w: w> 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
> 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
# G; Y0 W/ C3 m! P# I! A> next at bat.
>
( Z8 E9 s: l1 D$ e" k> 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
8 `$ A2 g/ H. ^> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
, f8 u' c+ g; U) H( X( r9 \6 w> 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
; }1 c" Z3 F- N% _3 c2 ~> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ _* |6 E, L. n2 C- N> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 X* d8 u$ P& d2 _, D> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
, q$ d% P4 r1 K. e> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
9 [8 g% s) }# n1 W> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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.
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  f1 h4 d5 V- U4 [. E> 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,
! z$ v1 G+ G5 w& p8 B* w2 q7 O> wide-eyed and startled.
>
9 c! E6 a. \$ C- k8 u> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* @* a# c4 I5 f2 S9 U& _6 c> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
4 |; I+ x6 b2 [9 S$ H> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
; f% M  q% g: S  q& t5 O" n> 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
2 D8 a6 L6 g: e/ ~* U- [> circled the bases toward home.
>
6 C7 B1 a* G$ J2 x, g" E, `6 e> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
+ E, k% D$ |! W# I6 O> 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!
* o/ e& I$ w+ x) C: W> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
: H, B9 y6 Z! R1 z  p1 `) X> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
" ?/ a1 {9 ^3 o: j% p, b" v. ]: I, m/ t> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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1 B+ h# a7 R7 b, m' V> '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'.
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' K: c5 F1 f" d1 ~> 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
- X3 B% u* Y( f5 e' S+ ?+ H8 h> 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
$ k: p* d2 B+ g- W3 f1 f" l> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
, p  R  O& }- b7 ~> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
$ u$ c9 z6 P) [> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
  ?6 E( c2 k0 {# }+ l1 I> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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/ H4 d( ]/ |' a6 T> 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
, P1 w1 j; p' K9 C> 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
0 S/ o# `4 x3 Z9 I> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
$ k( a" Q# U% k; O% ]( D$ q> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
+ l4 v# c4 Q/ }* w8 g; [( P> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.