Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
  O  j2 T: j+ U, E0 U8 ?0 S> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 x2 n! Y0 `' Z! ^" P> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
: R9 m: g1 I$ X0 e> same choice?
( K  |- h$ R  |% I& v>
> 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
' G- O4 A8 L+ g6 S; i( D2 o; W& t4 k> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
& d. k* D5 T8 }: {3 Z/ F0 `- P9 m>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
$ o& r. U: j4 {9 R8 B> 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
  K# [% Z2 Y; x4 @5 z. d> natural order of things in my son?'
% K$ p9 t- y# N>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
* d% h# g3 ]( l" t: e>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 [6 E7 M- @- n9 ^/ ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
/ D5 _4 H* I7 ?: g# v/ k>
> Then he told the following story:
. o. Y7 ~( h4 ~- g$ e>
8 \7 E6 O' E0 S0 `/ D8 g> 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
. K: U8 S" b1 N6 z5 g) s6 L> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
8 f' @# a: n/ R( ?9 F> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
$ Q. h$ u" w4 g, F& ^6 x+ Z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
. Z: Q* X. ?2 G" f& |& c& N> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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.'
' U) L  g4 ~4 b# u. x4 l>
> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
6 G! C$ r* N& d0 ?> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
! O0 f8 g, J+ _" [> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
1 J: t4 @# \: K' o> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
: b2 S+ J# m! t! E: H+ y> 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
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; ]: Q* Z1 }+ C3 G, B> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
/ E0 U  p6 ?0 N/ U> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
9 q6 @  [% c; e! ~+ J; a' b> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
# i. [* G( p4 B, {" b  N. {8 O> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 r/ y3 \1 f) j) q. ]4 p> 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
1 X3 G. ?3 F: f4 Q> right back to the pitcher.
/ a$ l) i+ b$ ~: ^4 z5 F3 t>
> 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
* B% a$ i1 |; V# y8 m7 i> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
9 H- N' \2 q+ d- K5 @> 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
+ R0 e! g7 r# F) T% O0 P7 B2 ]> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
# J) ^; G' `) T/ n3 S> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
  Z% w4 @3 S' U0 A> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
5 B' M7 p' R' t1 I: w1 G  \> 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,
0 S% A' ]1 _" o2 E> 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.
: q) ~5 N( j) H! _5 m/ a  \>
6 N, |+ }1 F( n" T& [- D" f; n> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
" C: Y" X$ r6 P* P>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
+ ^5 R0 C, y( ^" b. `> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
6 t9 t) H/ S6 C1 I2 S) x$ `> Shay, run to third!'
>
. S4 b* u6 F$ f9 |, N> 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
& v" K( u, D/ J2 P, D# D9 y  B> 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,
* a: W1 Y1 z( a" U> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
, e. B* d# J. n# @5 c! l* t# g>
> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
7 A2 t! a4 I7 U2 o1 x5 C4 `>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
/ e' \' V& d5 \: w; b> 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.
3 c/ D( |# m7 |+ }6 A>
$ W" \! l, w! J6 [! }, o> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% l9 A. q% r; B& }> 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
9 A  d* v! Y/ ~5 L3 J- M> 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
  l: H( c& e* a4 P6 X- ]) D6 E6 j> 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
8 g& }1 k2 ?8 q4 x> bit colder in the process?
! ]) E7 ~6 ?& r1 o. C>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
/ {9 f( J% U& c5 z" Z! h>
> You now have two choices:
6 \3 T! ?  v- Y' L$ j  Y> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.