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
! l% H- N( w, h# u" ?> same choice?
7 `% I& |+ |  L( \, G>
> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
3 z3 N. o7 C  F* u/ Z/ j; T7 E) Q. \>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
$ k3 q' U5 _4 y4 o9 X7 d8 f+ P> 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
8 U' E/ Z2 V5 ]% o# Z> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
) j& ]) {, b8 D  o/ t/ k1 v  T" F>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# D$ m, {" O: h+ g' e1 k; G  F> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 r: R& C' `( F7 A9 b4 a0 m3 Y> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
3 z  {, t1 J1 G' {/ A/ }> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
4 _, R, g$ `, m+ M>
> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ Z# r5 U1 `; B! \6 d* J> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
0 A  ]$ f; J/ b" }2 X+ P. Q>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& {& ^& ~+ s! l" V& f4 G> 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
+ F0 O* z6 h4 k' p0 v* G$ ^> inning.'
  ?9 _: @9 t9 F$ |2 }>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
9 J1 ^3 c! C! [( A7 t> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
  d+ D5 q9 A3 k2 ?7 \/ R> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
- W: G0 U  P) k7 v, s& Z> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
7 Q& v$ ^6 r. B3 O" J7 M) ~+ z> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
  A% C6 ~, ]' X3 V  J5 \> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 m& {: @- q6 O+ }% w> 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
. w4 Z' T1 N2 y. w> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
; A) y* E8 E% x> 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
. I3 a& q* B5 e6 X! h> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
9 [, m; Q7 h% ?! d& e& ~- S> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
$ ~0 e/ Z) a: s) o5 Z1 T! T+ ]7 g> 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
# k7 n2 ]9 g! ^> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
4 A" X& t: v9 [9 `! S$ i+ X6 q& ]> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
; v& T# D$ H& U>
( F5 `# o; i7 Z- M> 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
' v' |% C2 z4 P1 V) C> out and that would have been the end of the game.
8 W! M. V7 P% v>
* q* D, [( I/ @, G> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
6 M$ r0 B/ i5 J> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* b/ E+ g# F% `$ X% P- P. e> 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.
>
0 j$ g; \3 Z4 g* I$ U% J> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 [3 _. d; w8 z' D* m> 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
1 U! p  f' T0 C! a3 R0 f> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
9 J# O6 y1 b( f& z3 Y> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
7 M9 o2 ]: |' b4 d>
2 y* O0 A5 f; l: T> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
; N) \, V. q: z* r9 C3 ~> 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!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
3 b& W2 y+ V' I' G> 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
" B5 T* ?/ ^% [8 d3 x' y0 E> game for his team.
; M5 W7 `+ l/ R, Y9 p0 X>
+ J; z/ |  @) x4 E/ m; r> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
2 Z3 T4 [, X2 T. K+ A' _/ u> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> 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!
+ O& m& Q- ]- c  B$ U& H4 {* l>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
. n7 U8 ^* ?! w% ?8 A' q> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
# m# R* F5 s. Y* j# |+ n9 K> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
  c" ~4 k# w' A! P> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" U) u) w# j9 @" W* A. g> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
  |* j9 U. s/ O4 v9 a> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
- I  N8 J9 X7 @. E% J8 A# |> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
- z+ v; B; k8 ]9 @8 w% K8 ?> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 _6 C0 c3 k5 D1 k2 U7 o> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
3 ]2 F& S: a& d) E2 i>
# r8 J- Q4 r7 |* H# g> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
. F0 I& _- i" S2 a> 2. Forward
! y6 p! b/ m* ?7 [5 t6 q>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.