Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
% x. ?$ M2 e( `* h6 p9 s$ s> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; i7 [1 X6 m" r5 u; y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
7 W' Z5 ]5 E( k> same choice?
>
* [0 t* j" _4 e4 c6 m> 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
; x1 W! y& F2 {# i( J3 h> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
) M  w/ }  _  n/ G: P" t: S) ~8 |> staff, he offered a question:
4 y; t; E3 z1 T+ R>
# J0 m  i- z" P' R> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
5 e1 O  S! f$ b" m! O5 O>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
% v; q7 q/ d: m  G& z; Y> 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.'
' a. Q8 M: s  v5 a9 V  V4 u>
> Then he told the following story:
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0 @! r$ e. Z" s' g5 d' S5 C> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) c! @5 K% ^! @0 E8 j; D/ w> 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
; j' v# g( X  j> 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
" M5 H3 o- j& [6 T0 a> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
' g% X: A/ t0 @  Z( y>
> 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
6 W0 J" a+ _' p0 \> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
, j1 s8 \  l3 P. g' H> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
9 l4 Y+ R) h. ?1 T4 g> 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
" D" q7 _( ?# W% t) \> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
6 l: R6 U* R9 \* I, ]2 Q> 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
. e% r% j! r+ [  f- A6 ?8 X> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% q6 \3 D  o! c, b> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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4 t4 p$ @: r! U0 Y) ^6 m9 x> 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.
/ p* c- c) b8 o8 X2 m& s4 O; a> 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
, j& S( l8 ~% n0 O* A, {> 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
6 h) y7 j+ y' l9 ~> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
7 k* ^/ M  r1 k4 S+ C) o( b4 S> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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1 H1 H6 H/ d1 H$ a/ B2 \( x8 Q> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ `4 n+ a& J$ K$ F: D! _> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
" o8 w. u  j4 {7 [$ ^! T> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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2 h8 [6 W) a5 K  g! {/ V3 ]> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
3 b: q; b, l2 X6 s) h# p5 E6 ?> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ d+ ^& B5 ~1 J; W> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
0 B- H2 H( q) M# j2 g% s$ R> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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4 u2 G* G2 r/ l8 d5 n8 g7 |> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
/ z2 o* ~" Q* ~/ a- D  b, A> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
8 i7 \) e& {7 I5 K& T  Q+ E3 k> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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& O$ q9 B2 }- M; m8 J1 m> 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!
+ q! y  K+ y& n  w4 z0 Q> Shay, run to third!'
. b2 U6 T$ y$ ?; ]2 p5 t>
> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
+ m& A1 V' ~+ B> game for his team.
>
> '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
> 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!
>
4 [6 L$ n" a* Y' X> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
# p1 o9 }8 n- k8 r2 h7 D3 @> 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
7 Q3 x8 y! X$ K( g2 u# b5 A1 b$ O, f/ J> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
% @! G0 c3 g0 [> 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
3 R$ R! D" _$ T; h> '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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
$ H' O$ e5 _9 Q- d. e4 d% u3 `> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
5 [: J: Y  M. d! m; ^; F% ?6 _# C> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 k) _- V' D* O8 ?; H* A> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
5 ^9 v+ |1 g) d! u# n4 G' r/ ?> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.