Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
; I% X- d% G! p. K/ M! [' W2 K% 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
0 Y' U9 \; q$ a& O+ X> same choice?
>
* a* l& {: j2 J* ~0 ^> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" f) R3 g+ @" r> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
3 z2 e2 u6 [5 w5 I8 A& c) z> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
; x# }  ~/ Z9 A# E3 Z/ d1 g> '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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
3 e) Q7 O9 T+ m6 B6 S>
> 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
$ G) l4 c3 v. p  }' M0 u> treat that child.'
: w8 o+ M: v; S" e>
> Then he told the following story:
) j. U& p( A' I>
& z# @3 X3 N( |! [7 h: c, S/ @> 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,
. |7 ]$ f5 C) p3 }2 f' c> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
2 u: }4 ?) F) U> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
1 ]7 W, K8 G% w9 E3 a) O! z+ x> 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
> 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
> inning.'
" ~2 c" T! T  C1 I3 {+ R  z4 {* l8 o>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ ~& s0 g: O3 u  J1 c/ @> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
. T: r, z3 l  \> 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
0 V6 x$ r9 H4 x! N, H2 k> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 |: C  r& H$ Y/ t6 a: R5 o- p- `' ^> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
  [4 t3 w  s! 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
* g' Y* x* Z1 I# S6 Y3 z  `' p> 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 W/ L6 D; g0 X& F: s6 M; q! w> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> 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
8 `+ b3 B3 L# A: Z' Q+ `$ H> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
' g! f3 g, M5 y" p, g! 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 Z- S  c: X. a5 _> right back to the pitcher.
>
# U; Z; F) }$ N7 T6 b> 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.
>
5 F& ?$ P: @$ x8 ]> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
1 n6 Y! u9 f2 m) {* H# n> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
0 w* b! p/ [9 K) D" S! 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
. M- ~' {0 P2 R  z9 x% _% G> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
, _+ d, @1 Y5 u5 }/ V1 `4 G> 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.
4 D. s& i5 a* J+ r3 [1 A+ N>
& n7 Y0 d$ A: [- M> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
% W+ S2 o# Z0 k+ e0 Z: p3 U> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
7 e, C# F4 g2 {> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
0 U9 d9 _$ r- _4 {: P> game for his team.
% x! w, I# R, J6 T3 A>
5 m" I0 G. A# K/ W& S$ E> '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'.
>
4 c& S) j! ?% _8 S9 [> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
( T! w  I4 a  F0 d- c; q3 l# Y> 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!
$ b# m3 Y3 H; B0 w9 l4 q/ M" w>
$ X- B- N& A2 |: Y. G> 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
$ {5 I8 o* h- M; Q7 G5 h3 v> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
9 H& S! E9 J9 P> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
$ t1 f/ w4 J8 u* q# h- i4 H$ 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
0 c/ `/ l, V/ p6 n0 P> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
0 L1 ?2 ~6 O/ Z$ H4 h( `4 v% I: X1 h> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
1 r5 X" o  @3 K. F2 t! R> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
. F" c+ W3 D# Q; R. n7 J> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
' f( t6 W+ Q0 ~& U3 {> bit colder in the process?
$ P* e& N' I- h2 u>
% G) F$ P' g4 Q8 g( U" p> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
% W6 W. Q3 Q3 l- L>
> You now have two choices:
, r7 w4 ]- F$ C0 q/ u> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.