Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
' X8 K! q) E5 K8 _5 D> 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
3 m/ h5 t) ~2 F; o6 w/ t! C5 z> same choice?
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- \4 g. ~3 ]! C> 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
3 Z1 r/ P$ \! J6 E> 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
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
; U9 V9 q) S* i9 k) k> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
, v) ?5 o5 c+ ]% Z> natural order of things in my son?'
>
, o! C0 _) @# K9 X3 X* U> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
! I4 Q0 |7 l2 x( i> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 r- q/ Z* y+ a8 }. V> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
: {. k' |1 S# d> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 ~- C& Q0 R3 ^- p/ M  G) l> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
; e* V# ?: J  @, C: w1 o> 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,
. F# B8 }- q/ X: l) ]" R> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ p" n4 |. k* `: O7 M> 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
& ?. F8 j! f4 Y/ S, H& C! e> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
/ g) z8 P5 b1 i" m1 A- L( y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
0 E: M! }' l; U, s( m4 H& ]3 {> 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
; J1 g# H0 y# @5 C+ ?+ b: g5 D> 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
+ D( l5 L" Z% F3 a$ _> 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
  l; i+ R$ v* H! W2 s0 G> 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
7 f7 Z4 ]/ u( t( \" I: r- |" f> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> 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
& o6 I% W$ m  G> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
! K4 N1 x9 a8 z7 X( J> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
4 ?6 }3 I9 A) q. g# M0 z6 w% |> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
# \1 C' b3 q/ Y8 {8 \$ ]! u" _> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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.
>
> 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
" R/ d  W- i+ F4 g# q$ A> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
; A, A2 {; l. ?3 s$ D. \> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
; k# ]9 ~, @1 P$ N$ V, _! Q> 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
2 x+ X3 X/ w' W, K% |> 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,
, d0 R, B& N' \7 d+ F" F> 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
+ a# [' R: b' n> circled the bases toward home.
>
# R: U- A; D; Q# f> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 H1 P+ Q1 |/ K* {> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
% T+ z2 z+ J% z> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
9 ^& q$ X5 C' H$ D9 W! q$ W( y> game for his team.
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> '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'.
>
( e4 [+ e- i( D+ i/ `7 b! ~> 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
4 n( g) X8 o  c, l9 S> 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
4 ]/ V7 @( k; M# Z" q$ I> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
* [. Y8 H2 m- w> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
! c7 h3 v4 w+ y* N6 O1 R> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
+ b1 i+ U) @% M) X  _( K>
- d: }: |0 v) x  |3 w> 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
1 ^. c! b2 Z' r; Y0 t' Z' O: n6 l, _6 f> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
( U6 B3 ^0 |+ e$ ?& f> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
9 W7 ?8 f  V" }5 m  S( t> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
$ ~6 X$ w$ Q& D> 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
# z( i" }% C% C# V! M! Z> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- j+ a- B1 I" I% ]> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
/ b9 T& K( c7 d- x+ K> 1. Delete
" T1 C! N" q8 C4 Q, W> 2. Forward
>
  R$ Y- F: P; j( n> May your day, be a Shay Day.