Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% n% u  T" z( v1 E> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
: M  \  a% w5 i2 C) B- @> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
: m: X  r+ X' {; e7 G. k: y> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 N0 C9 e* {# u5 b2 Q9 G! \> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
- r2 }( O# L  Q/ q9 A$ \> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) `0 D; R6 T6 m  G1 g> 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
/ b8 l9 Y/ s1 p( ^5 p" N> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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% ^3 G# R' W  d& [6 c> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
" g# S. }9 z! X. U# H8 y> 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
, ~/ f$ T; ^! I" _: H  q+ U2 U> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 I1 C4 V0 q$ V1 H/ u3 r4 T> 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
3 u8 b/ h8 `8 S> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
! G0 _- g3 _1 i+ t> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. ~0 S* ~( Z0 o% l# i> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
/ ?9 r: m9 y3 {8 V+ u3 `> 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
  G5 \) `& o$ \; ^> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
7 F. V) f; m* x) L> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
( d7 y; @# r  C% |- f> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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5 z7 w6 e3 ^: E/ P: m- I% j6 }> 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.
> 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
! n* o0 `( g9 ~* ]' q( ?> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
* y0 l1 K; ^0 s$ ^3 n! |- f> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
/ E" i" X9 Q2 b! ]2 \> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
; J: F% H0 ?. g& q" ?3 n+ @> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
4 P8 e7 f$ O# F& x+ ]> 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.
>
> 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
! T: Y& n4 |0 ^6 k+ J> 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.
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7 G$ O, _+ z( L! W> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
( Y+ \8 ]1 `( V8 R> 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
  i; E/ y& f& k+ W0 ~> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
2 |" s! X8 o) L6 P> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
4 `# ?6 P7 e2 b, s  ?9 F2 P, N> 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
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
5 v. ~! ?" v, M9 C3 m> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
9 F" G  e" l. {8 N> game for his team.
>
3 V) U3 z: z+ ?8 x> '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
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>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
( ^; E7 Q, Y1 q> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
3 L2 d! S  ?1 l2 q3 z- S> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
: h; R- Z" k9 g3 s' w  \5 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
6 l4 }( [! `, N> 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.
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> 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
$ a& @7 j' C$ y; w/ h  ?- Y> 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
8 ]" e. F; Y9 ?- N% N" j1 |6 S> 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?
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/ b9 k& A/ x/ w3 g! ?/ O+ m" I9 ]> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
: u) V- Z7 ?9 d8 k' W9 {5 @& W; f> You now have two choices:
" e6 A0 z3 g4 |* Y> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.