Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
1 @' M0 S- R9 H5 e0 r> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
4 B% D" K' w+ C> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
: w* w% i! L7 ~5 |1 k/ l' [/ m> same choice?
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> 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
' [, \. A- h$ F- Y4 y% t> staff, he offered a question:
( m( \. L; z7 }+ G>
4 q# v  q/ c0 T3 r> '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?'
>
) j2 F5 k9 x: T$ C. J* e" C> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
- i# W" z# J& h: n2 a+ K* j. b> 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
3 J3 A) }4 E  N- _> treat that child.'
>
' D% P+ s2 b: D  V> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
2 C  H( P) \* T' f> 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,
1 u: X! b; F) [7 r" R> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
# C7 P7 b: l+ q2 d) d> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
7 D; _- h, a8 V1 Y3 h>
' ?5 T$ E, c0 d> 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
$ {0 p7 t8 _. C  [> 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.'
1 f- _3 @! i0 H4 K>
> 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
4 z0 }/ _8 g, Y4 C> 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
# N% b( c  t6 l% w* @" d5 d> 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
> next at bat.
1 u4 @! z; V/ K4 O>
5 u6 x- J2 f2 \8 b: a: \$ O$ i> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
/ o1 j& c1 D/ \> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: r# `2 `, e, V7 j: z9 S$ X> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
" L3 L6 m: y3 J4 [$ e> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ ?# p6 u+ {6 Y! N5 w> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
! V5 w' I4 X8 D  p> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
! ~9 }! L* s* ~: B$ @- |> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
+ F. `9 L) t3 D> right back to the pitcher.
7 `7 c0 N$ f7 ^$ `7 X4 m7 }>
> 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
( m; |( ^7 v/ E# i3 S> 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
6 L" }+ F5 j0 m( i- J; C2 G> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
, h3 m3 M4 }7 F* u1 C. m8 z> 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.
' }5 }, H# g* r' }/ S" A>
6 N0 ]# s3 h/ _% x0 I> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) Y# |* b* S; a( G/ U> 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
' b# Q; f* b0 y# V% D> 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
1 E. F+ a& j; \+ f4 p0 k0 d, T> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
3 A0 f9 f! r$ e- b, _6 x7 h0 e> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
+ h% A- a- O" f" ?. j2 f( _> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
$ K  _% b+ S$ z! s> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
5 ^* k5 j5 \6 Q> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 c& v# d: o5 }, {# {> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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5 N' u6 u; [9 a: v: m6 U. m> 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
) \) A/ Q0 J2 U$ l* ?5 |# N> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
. v$ F8 b! W3 j/ [> game for his team.
5 b8 Z; Z, p* ]: d>
> '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'.
>
( P0 G! p0 l3 B( d8 Z  `> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* b1 }; M0 x( [2 J7 h> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
. }3 N7 e! L% ~, A* ~; w* e> 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.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
! P; L9 ]8 k" ^$ P+ e( e1 N> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
& Y$ Y4 W2 E% P! Q- d' X0 ^> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
; k" o8 z3 T# `7 \> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
. F8 b# t  f# U  `" a6 {8 e> 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
1 ~1 u1 S: a1 r" K) e> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
/ a5 O% F. F4 ~>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
0 }# d7 t. S4 h> 1. Delete
  ]. E, ~1 u1 R* Q8 W> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.