Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
! E+ g- p1 @& T4 y+ L9 M; {+ O' c- L> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
& v/ v. n0 {  Q6 I* ]/ }> same choice?
7 L; r- z( A- F& D8 {>
) A4 s5 O0 b0 F& m5 F4 y> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( v: Y% q4 q  c: D' @. F1 X- d> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
, T# G$ w1 b5 W" F5 {& R> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
) `4 Y+ g. A. S/ n( e* A5 q> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
$ [/ B: X6 ]/ _/ K1 J+ o>
/ d* ~  [. L* R& n> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
3 N$ F+ x6 m6 F8 X' E$ {> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
4 ?4 M. l' w, n+ X: `8 E> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
$ M6 _/ h+ ^2 |& o> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
: y! G8 x# M3 R5 j* A1 }/ m( P> Then he told the following story:
>
: m, j0 L/ [* o! R* N0 r3 S/ g  p" S> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
1 Q, ~. R2 z* _( E" j/ ]5 ]. R  b> 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.
>
  Y1 }% ?/ b6 h+ s* I> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( o5 W4 V4 _2 W. n. `> 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
! F4 [: c& }! s- q% k0 ?> inning.'
' Z. r" Q; w6 X) ^# g7 q>
  K+ p9 \# r# }" l  J. Y> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
( E! L/ w, h$ b> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 Z" d4 S/ b/ n: i3 a2 L4 X* 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
8 k" t6 e+ l$ V+ u> 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
: O+ }2 c  h2 [' R7 C( u> next at bat.
. t2 F: v. ^( R+ h$ m: w>
% x: r! U' C+ c6 J! ]# ~> 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
) g5 k: w, t& X1 Q& v2 v> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
9 c) a9 l$ K0 l9 U" {% l% P* i; w> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
5 N3 M) u& \9 W- K  j9 {& z> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 Y1 c+ e  j0 f: @1 ?> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
% X; ^+ N7 Q0 i' D* W/ b> out and that would have been the end of the game.
8 h$ K* a% r1 G>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
, n- N6 p7 W- _/ c> 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
) r5 ^1 m& W. B/ a> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
1 b1 B3 M) F- {. K4 E>
> 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
6 u- s  q) Y: K. k) ^( i> 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,
* {( k; K4 V5 _> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
+ v/ P6 h5 ?3 b# ~. m( G> 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'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( D0 b7 `* j# _; a' u> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
: g; P8 G  v3 |> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, H5 U( _, s" l0 Q& ^> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
2 ?  |" |& M  ^! X( O3 s( p> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
0 U& G$ W( {2 y: F> game for his team.
>
0 ~1 m$ l6 e7 \& I. Y> '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'.
4 C& e. }9 q5 N, F>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
/ r) y9 C( ?: E" n% ~> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
2 `/ k; K" ]' c* H8 X> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
5 h1 s' b2 b/ L, G' a$ b4 b. h( a; n> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
- t9 D/ g# X& ^) d> 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
2 q3 D1 z( [( \9 c! q/ O> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
4 i* K( ]. X4 q; W3 N> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
( Y3 k9 ~! _+ U: J' X/ b$ U> 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
  F2 f7 l5 S' h> 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$ R" k/ K: h! u/ ~> 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
, w  {; r$ |/ ~( |> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
$ a1 j9 ]/ n& a- ]> bit colder in the process?
>
1 G! Z$ [* a8 S( c& V2 F> A wise man once said every society is judged by
+ D" i3 z5 s- O( q> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
/ X3 m& T# N, F0 P( d. a> You now have two choices:
: h. \0 Z, H3 @2 ~) s/ X> 1. Delete
% f" }5 z5 O2 l9 P1 b( c% s; F> 2. Forward
>
: O$ M  e+ h- z% E$ ^/ U> May your day, be a Shay Day.