Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
6 y9 P$ I* R4 r% ?! x6 f( y+ i> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* y' |3 D+ Q: ~$ O> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
$ M& m! p3 Z2 v; b> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ D% j/ o+ |. b9 m9 j( _> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
9 H. C' k2 W/ Z; M* @9 k: r> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
- ^8 r- b" s* B# k! M# e> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
; P7 Q7 s  N/ Z3 Z! ^7 t4 ?$ }> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> 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.'
>
5 W- y' b1 [# i/ K> 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
5 O5 L+ @" c" j3 M7 m8 t> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
5 k3 [. [5 _4 p. t> 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
/ k; _" k; C% @5 [9 {* }! i> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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( D) E* c3 Y# [& G> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
, h: w, B, `7 s: V5 G6 {> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
! w, Q+ [  j; }) y! Z# Q& Y> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
& }- S9 ~* Y& e& c" ]- ~1 U) y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
; r+ c8 y: O; T$ O3 o6 N3 z/ l> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# e# B$ y% x! l> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
' l# C; q/ C1 q* m5 H! v> 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
; m; f8 m" g2 ~5 W5 {% j' D  a* O( l> 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
0 h( w+ l  H# w' e% a7 |> 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.
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/ @" v. j9 E# p& {+ s5 r7 z  R> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; A' f# }9 c% ]8 d> 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,
( i0 \: Z, {, r; n0 Z> much less connect with the ball.
0 P! L8 a1 t- x3 [) ~( Z7 t5 }' 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% J3 ?8 m& K# z0 `> 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
+ F1 J2 C/ X( m6 g) m9 {3 W& c> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ O, K; }) k! b> 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.
>
# m' L' R# D: W0 p2 a- J& Z> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
0 a' H+ h0 k, i+ W% n8 H> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
! Q- S) T. \$ Z1 h> 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
( m6 n. y/ E% l! {+ Y7 B5 Y1 Y> 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
) w. h$ p: Z# l7 j  K/ d* `! o> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
+ b* c9 [7 x) i$ I# V> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
6 d9 n/ f2 Y; b- y> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
. k. D& h6 S* {# R' a, h/ ^> circled the bases toward home.
>
# k% a9 w: L5 k# P2 B/ Y" D/ {9 S> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
( t) b$ ~, @5 ?( `% K> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- \4 f8 e6 m5 g1 x- s> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
' H3 T2 T* R) z8 g! W) J9 I> 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
* @2 i% i2 ~' }8 e> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
# Z' \& Y0 B" ?2 F8 B$ C: o> game for his team.
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> '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
! B. D/ f& V: a& U- J- T& R% [> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
" g) H3 {+ [* U+ B. x) @> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
  H/ b; M  s7 G> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
' s3 X5 k7 A6 `0 o4 |> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
# L; s) v; ^7 C4 x8 @# Y# B> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
  U& Y, L) a! g& b: S) |> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
( b  Z# T) k/ s8 F# |3 g. w> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
9 F7 \# i6 Y+ Z>
' `1 p" x- @" l  y0 B# i> 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  I1 O% V' k$ j6 k> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
5 l& x4 [7 q8 V! f" z! O! W: l> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
* g0 a: G0 T0 Z& C> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
* Y5 K- d- U& m6 L6 b; }> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
2 z; ?: |9 I. ?> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.