Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
& K- a. V5 v; o! B0 O+ m# Y5 V( [> same choice?
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1 l1 Q% a% a8 @" p# @2 z  ?2 x# c> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
; N5 l% Q8 c) I1 T7 X" k8 l' {> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
9 R7 D) Q+ r- R; S> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- x% q/ G$ \9 `5 U" D> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
/ I1 Q' c2 a& C- j. H* z, f> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
! T0 f% u7 r; a, }8 C> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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  h0 R* h$ w- R! ~9 n  G5 S! o2 o) y> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; _. p* U2 I2 m> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
/ i( }" L4 S  v> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
1 l' ?. @7 G2 z, }. P+ V& t> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
7 k5 {- M! H5 n; Z) f8 [* X> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 h  @6 W3 f1 {& f/ p. N> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
, r8 p8 h. H3 x; o+ }, M> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
3 c; A% X& x: K> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> 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
5 u( s8 @& v2 |$ @& H! I> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
) G7 H, P' i( J+ J+ ^> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
, K+ S" r) [' a7 I8 [! \/ u> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 R- O4 y) e6 Y, V' q. C( X> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
7 J: k1 m3 t4 S% c5 p> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
9 x& A1 B5 m# }$ V; ^> 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
9 l* v2 j, {) `4 E1 C> next at bat.
>
  {( E* g( l' Q0 U5 l> 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
2 X. ^$ L$ I4 R1 u> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
# T8 u/ E8 y4 Y> much less connect with the ball.
" \. I& {% l4 P, `5 K- I> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
! E$ N4 N' Q! y2 h1 D8 Q, a> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
6 S# O. d7 J, n! E7 L& t+ \' `; r> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
5 h4 h6 C# a' i. ?4 t- ~> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
' ~0 n' H9 m# C4 w  S7 I; h( S> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
6 o+ A3 v$ Q/ B8 l" F> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) m/ ]7 t5 }& q! J( e> right back to the pitcher.
>
- s* r6 n* K. t$ w9 P# Q> 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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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
( m; B/ P1 L  M3 H* ~4 \( m> 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
$ J+ k; C& L1 s+ U; y> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
4 ^& a: e" Y! o9 E# E( G> wide-eyed and startled.
>
1 D3 z* ]( q) F: o> 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
> 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
! G: I9 ?3 X" @! ^> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
" Y: O" l2 e2 R; b> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
! p. D0 N- P( _- V> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
# @2 ]2 a* z' b/ h) M9 Q> circled the bases toward home.
>
7 y! D6 q' L3 M# {> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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) {3 g. U7 _- S9 g* _/ B> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
4 F# v/ o2 o2 I2 b0 b3 N- E. y> game for his team.
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1 }! k4 y3 j8 I7 i' _1 Z6 |> '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
8 X/ v0 j$ w8 }1 q& \0 U> into this world'.
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6 }% J! t; p9 y9 ~" \> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' [1 Z% `7 J* j- B> 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!
>
6 O! M! S6 T- M! u8 J& `4 b1 v> 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
, W8 y/ f( W" @/ b' w. c* Q! S> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
5 M0 P* {) Z- z> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; M% A1 I! `3 G/ H: s> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
$ _9 I0 Q/ H. p9 x> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
6 n0 f: y, y% O! P! {* z> 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
& P' c  C; O' w! |+ n> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 S6 f- p- V, E( j> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
: I. s+ {1 {. q& h; H, ?" a> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.