Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
3 Z8 _/ Z$ S9 a, @> 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
& T# ]3 F6 Z9 O  B6 S' O> same choice?
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1 c% g* A6 a2 S0 S> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" u" ?3 i) {1 a" G" ]* S7 D> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
6 w) F% z5 k3 |( K> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
. z9 }0 c9 u" t7 \+ M> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
" d0 ]9 `" Y& A" `8 F> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
) \7 c3 |4 H6 x> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
- w) k$ w9 U" S/ T> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  J4 q7 U3 V2 `8 c% L  e7 [) G6 k> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
& u+ J" x" y# {. V0 M( ]> 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
/ ~% q6 E' A) V' E0 i> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ f* s. I: ^& N3 \% v> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
+ @5 L9 a* z) _> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
' f% i5 _. t8 V> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
2 d' T: x" h+ I. `9 ^/ [" W$ t>
2 B  Q# R2 w; d! y) o> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% N9 N2 f$ i- w> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
, l! Y2 Z+ [% E> 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
# X3 T+ ?0 w( l4 N; U/ }> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 ^# j$ n8 f6 y$ j+ W/ m! c7 k> 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
4 Q6 W  ], _( e7 X& y9 o> 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
! T+ N5 ^- ~- W1 f/ |' T/ y" ?> next at bat.
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/ m( K- q# v1 u, M. g& c- c; I* c> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ A! q+ k9 W$ [6 h> 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,
/ a2 q# s6 k+ r1 y2 \/ W! i> much less connect with the ball.
3 {! C5 d+ y# j! N$ @> 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
0 }% R0 O  d# |) c# |> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
% a5 a: t" y: V5 ^* n& A> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
# k7 t9 y$ N! T8 l> right back to the pitcher.
, ^" L1 k# g. t1 |& a; ~>
> 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
& e3 G, o& Y6 k& k8 [. B9 `> 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,
) W! }' r" O7 [) C( {/ X3 q" k> wide-eyed and startled.
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- s1 f* l/ I( x. H> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
. D/ Z. S2 P7 o. [) e> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ x- w. _( W! R9 U8 A> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
& i1 ^0 K1 C- q> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
  R2 Y# N: _7 }> circled the bases toward home.
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* W: A& y4 |1 \0 @> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
: R* l+ F/ Z, y0 ?4 f> 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!
2 v) U# c7 x: F6 k' V' u+ r> Shay, run to third!'
>
6 ~( b9 I# }+ R* P1 @/ o+ o> 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
; _+ u' x4 f$ ^; P* |* T> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
$ l# x; L3 d, P  @% z1 B+ u> game for his team.
& g6 v7 x% F" r3 D% x3 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'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 _7 w6 J& U: x  X9 a> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
1 _, \9 ?8 [: f( u+ }> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
0 c7 n/ |, x2 ]0 X/ r- U/ s> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
) T. o/ e2 J  I  u> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- ~) J9 _' _! n* d; D> 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
> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
0 j* f' A, W: p/ R; ~( R> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
5 F- G. t) @& y0 y$ w> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 v& B8 v$ h/ C/ @- _> 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
" D: B$ k( L0 N4 n> bit colder in the process?
>
. D1 B9 j5 \0 R5 k) t+ n; v) \> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
7 `1 E/ ]' Q7 t9 o6 o>
> You now have two choices:
7 ?+ t$ z+ P+ D* U1 t+ p> 1. Delete
* {2 [; \6 D6 k! a' f* F> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.