Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 D$ A; u- R$ {9 k; h& @2 w> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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- q2 z0 {9 h# G- H" \# Q> 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
4 P& y& N/ F# E) S# n> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
; Z( Y/ b0 p& i1 J1 B> staff, he offered a question:
>
# K# K+ a3 ~8 j: a, Z, R> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' F( c! M0 j1 B& Z7 {> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
" i# I& D+ a1 {8 M) f> natural order of things in my son?'
" G0 i) i9 u& b# j* b( W9 U>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
/ H+ W( `- [/ e# X: w- s  g# U: Y>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 n7 n& ~; d- i9 i+ {0 C0 B. f! V> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
* _0 l' T9 q# u# R* p$ O> treat that child.'
>
: W1 d0 Y7 G) l1 ^, I> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# y1 e) r/ v7 X- M3 M$ z> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
. g' Q8 o; N0 n* W8 z> 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
, `# _% B; h5 t5 o  R, ?> 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
) s; f# J+ q& T: [+ I> 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 U' U  ]: c  [8 [>
8 S% _& o5 n( p> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- a  W9 H6 Z; I) `9 u> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
; M2 u. z& N0 G9 F> 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
> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
! r) B9 a& O: f, r8 {3 N> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
& @  Q2 }+ _& e# v8 Q4 H' W> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
( Z; l( a' s3 @! M> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
1 r+ q2 g- h- ^2 d0 a4 v> next at bat.
>
! J4 P  @0 Q0 M0 g9 k, T/ J> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
" k$ n8 v( G$ M4 \; S2 r9 h1 P1 W> 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,
; Z2 v1 n* l5 `. a* ^> 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
7 t* _& u- O8 G' b4 Y> 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
$ b3 [) Z& Z0 z* w' j! L$ L+ L) A. H> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
# c/ n4 ^) [* [; n> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 q3 C  V( g& S- a* N3 v2 H" Z> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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.
6 U$ a6 {  V6 a( `>
1 l9 F% B: B2 K: n# ]+ F, @  e> 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
% c9 F, \" x' K( q> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
- Q, m  a# m; K; O> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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0 k1 Z5 y  i6 o. j% k' `/ W> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
  c+ W3 I! x" ]; _$ Z> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
' P5 O6 x6 H' i* o  n& ^" B2 ]/ _> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
- C# P5 u' p9 W- ?2 l  R3 U) ]! p, 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
4 H% I- E+ P$ x* Q> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
2 L& I5 ]: ]2 W  ~5 k4 }  z> 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.
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8 E9 W3 J% c' ~' x> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
5 _* D  E& p' P: b4 n>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
4 {; d+ Y5 x9 c/ f! o1 I& a> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
7 A$ Y. n; t& T9 L, u>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
  y5 i/ l& D; _2 V, n& m% A8 W3 O6 o> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
8 u( w6 I+ j( D+ m- v: M> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
! }9 a& b: w7 e+ Z  m>
  e" h# b" t: R: H; b6 v> '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'.
>
8 O  g5 U5 L# s" W' L. 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  D: J% \. C7 ~$ k> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
% S4 b- a8 \3 H+ U9 G> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
  p! |( V/ R9 \9 J5 \> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
$ C2 ~' H  d7 y2 j* j3 ^6 t4 Z>
> 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
/ r: C- ~$ d+ J2 a* h# Y> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
> 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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
7 Y( P; F. o! D  y/ f+ L> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
2 R4 O: @- R) h0 A( c* r% ^> 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
) F) {3 b. ~6 H4 k  x4 w> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
, J, {& v3 l) j4 O! b- t> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
9 s) J$ ~0 u. a. d: @8 m>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.