Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
  j2 c, [% G! w% z2 L0 L. V> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 n( q' r6 O0 j3 W/ f6 q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
2 `. Y" F; A- g; E9 J$ s0 q> same choice?
>
. ^/ v6 u* ~/ `> 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
9 ^- G) ~6 s4 M$ _( n' V6 H4 `> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# ]+ M; ]2 o5 @: e> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
$ }' h! {& h+ T> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
* s2 k  f# F. R0 T9 i; K1 O1 [9 y>
5 p5 J, \5 J$ W9 ~2 e- a' }' K> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% J& N" _) a$ _& @> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  V, \( Y  x% M- s6 m( ?) E> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
9 L1 \+ B* M! E5 p" m> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 \( E% Z6 T& W1 f> 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
: G) L2 t. j* d; n; Y/ |> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
% J, x8 M& A2 c3 S& V2 m& G> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' Z/ v5 @4 M: ^2 _' ?> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
2 `) s  j  K% \7 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
# u9 c# W# ~3 D> 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
. `5 v1 p' \' P" x> next at bat.
1 K# F) j& ?, c5 m" p2 a>
> 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
7 R+ m, t& V+ M> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
6 y/ `8 Q2 z) t; n0 ]> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
5 a2 }; }$ G, t) `6 ]8 r. ]> 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
2 M/ I5 N* p2 X8 K) @> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 p8 Z! Q  J1 C& G+ E% B> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
" n0 q; N0 b, g6 K  s% b+ s> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
2 _; W7 b4 q( ^) k$ {> right back to the pitcher.
- |; \$ V4 L( e, ]% F>
> 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
+ r9 b4 z: k# m# w( X> 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
, Q$ `+ d5 v" w: ~4 X7 x> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
6 [7 l9 e  y5 ?5 Q% ]( E" C9 @> 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,
5 m1 i6 C, o5 a. D" x$ ^/ p: z7 ^2 o> wide-eyed and startled.
. ~% f! H( h5 z( V( r0 n7 O>
) e9 f/ q0 N; n+ C  i# l> 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 v' v9 L# H3 [. a2 `+ x$ ~> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
3 R0 s2 w4 T' n> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
% h$ k; n- a! A* P> 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
0 u- B+ ]/ s1 W2 v- {> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
2 {! w4 L$ z8 f, R3 J>
" x, T4 T" y9 I, E3 |> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
/ \; T3 n" f; f+ I>
> 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
> game for his team.
>
, M8 v" P$ n/ m% C) `( k* T! C9 E$ D> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
, N! s  s7 y9 |/ ]> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
( W4 c) p; f0 e> into this world'.
4 l, T6 B+ l" _1 H; Y" s; F2 E# o>
7 a, K5 Z$ g- N' ~0 S2 E: s7 C> 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!
>
. U3 o& B% ^& A& t) H8 U> 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
) v! l' g. _& i( z> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
- z% M6 @% H7 X5 z2 k8 L9 n> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
7 |  c8 u) E; d# V! u9 E; o  q6 B> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
' g1 p$ F! ?2 E: Z& Q> '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
* X, n3 g" ^! J. B> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
  b1 x( C$ N4 j9 `$ M' R4 ~( y> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
% s1 i3 Y) r5 v. U$ ?9 n> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
. }4 z; L$ Q  o' P' v5 W- L0 f/ j- c>
# G; K, M2 g- `/ C: r" A0 f> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
# R% X1 B% ~' e> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
7 k. W. B% _# f! ]! l>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.