Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ c! w& z2 l  a8 V+ ^# U# ^> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
7 i4 d; g  g' Q2 {> same choice?
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; m, [, G9 d# m* h1 a' z2 ]$ O> 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
& F3 L2 M+ [" i* P- f> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
; T7 y8 }, Z) ^> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
5 ]- J2 S7 w0 H3 g5 B7 B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
' j* y, p4 T) ^+ ]> 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
; C9 I5 T- }; p4 |. K/ N" H9 c. o> 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.'
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9 x' N0 `1 [0 Z9 x! }> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
7 V+ p% f0 q3 L: z4 @7 ?. j4 G$ e' n6 r6 W> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
( J5 a* i  G5 |, K( e* {# t> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
7 G* z% t9 W0 P: m$ i2 e$ [7 o4 q> 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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# d$ r% _' {2 n2 X> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
8 p0 c  E6 W+ U! l1 P* \> 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
> inning.'
>
+ N3 F0 f0 u- S) g> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
9 x5 S7 X& F) z  ~> 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
) v( ]7 Q. o6 U7 d5 ~, w> 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
3 v3 t1 I) _6 {: n> 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.
>
> 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
9 [1 `2 c8 D7 x2 y, ]" Y& ^> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
5 |' N3 O# R  B2 n0 c3 ?) e> much less connect with the ball.
% }7 U5 d9 R4 x9 _/ i, [> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ f: W, O3 n7 I+ b7 p9 T" i0 S> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
( F: T9 ^9 |, Z$ l8 V> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 H' [2 s5 D1 u: T& [# K6 J' y> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
8 S. r0 y( K5 }6 w' _! D> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* k, E( \6 O6 S+ X> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
> 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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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 n8 @9 C0 Z6 M# x6 r5 b4 s* [5 E  w> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; A9 \* H1 y/ k* M+ O' q8 X  B! [> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
! m0 ~( ]) J7 {6 s0 V, b; M> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
- a, x- n0 O8 Q% l> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> 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!
% v2 w% `. d( l> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
! g- d' r6 b6 f3 c8 e4 r> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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. J2 N( ?: i( T4 p> '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
& u& e& o. D. [> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
) j4 K$ i3 I; v# a: u( D9 X4 W5 e> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
8 K, e) g" U$ `) s% M> 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
> 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.
>
" Z- p- l7 ]9 ?> 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
4 v: h) F  v% X( v; |1 _! M6 _> '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
( Y) P! C4 l0 C& U  p$ W: D) p> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
/ D, v  T- @" ^$ H* d7 C> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
6 Z9 c' ~1 T9 \' w6 Z> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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+ A0 r. O) b& T) a6 n( I> You now have two choices:
7 w# ^& t( D* k, P> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
- `* P) n% S4 a4 L> May your day, be a Shay Day.