Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
/ b) P2 i% x) s# A" V& C> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) A( U' c5 g. y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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! b9 @. K, Q2 k3 `4 Q> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
' g, T3 Q) r5 U- W& m" h4 m> 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:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: T4 b' D/ M0 {! k3 d' B/ M9 G> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
# ?! R8 e4 Z: g. n2 L" s: d! ?5 t6 B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
+ |. [1 R' B6 b( ~. t/ u> natural order of things in my son?'
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5 Q7 B1 v: d! O+ _' G0 R> The audience was stilled by the query.
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4 `6 m2 C, a  Y, t> 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
* ?4 o; i+ p% o" E4 {6 \8 u$ X> treat that child.'
>
" L" w/ P0 d$ h1 L9 B" R. z> Then he told the following story:
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& I5 z( N7 U; n3 {> 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
9 [6 m$ R& P' H> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
+ U' V' H( p# T5 `$ u> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
4 L( l' t3 P" s. s$ T3 S> 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
" l/ w( H# V( j5 b- r9 a> 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
* K* E  |' R, k' P$ |' Z( h> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
$ T- q# _3 i( ^, O0 ]: L4 x' u9 `> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
1 K0 X0 J: k( v5 Y+ |, h. C> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
& I2 N* a7 r% d# Z: a, Z8 O> 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
> 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
6 ]% _+ I% T* z7 R# g> 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
- c/ Q6 J- m1 P: ]; V. L: G> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
# g% a4 n& E; {8 C4 P& O% ^0 G# M" x> 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.
> 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
9 w- I* f7 c, @# L5 u. |+ i0 n1 \> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
0 Z* M  `. N9 N+ @4 a. @& P> 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.
>
* k5 x1 B+ b+ W> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 ^; |6 r+ ]. r  Q$ h> 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.
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; d4 H1 o) }* n$ R# N> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
, D+ z+ ~1 l* ~" R' s> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
" r8 Z/ x8 A+ [' m' M% h0 D> 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
* \/ A9 l0 m# C" P' J> 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
' l' Y) v/ E; U3 b' l8 o> 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
> 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
# F% l: W0 E3 g' V7 V: @5 L% k> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!
; P6 n: X# s9 z0 s, J- j> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; M& K. P* \4 [$ ~' i> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
' I5 z7 c; X* z$ q9 R; x3 X> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
" }& l" R# F! L) i) L2 g3 v: Y> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
+ G0 U6 R2 k' H3 [> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
) i7 `+ `7 O* [! z> into this world'.
>
- z6 o" }7 f0 }0 M> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% G. g/ k& p/ s5 J4 t  i> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
' \$ ]5 k+ `1 T3 Y1 k- C% }: d> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
- a% [$ a; d) |; Z0 k, e- b> 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.
>
+ E9 ?% |, Z  `> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 W6 H9 E3 K6 V2 p4 g> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
1 O! q. F; p- P7 X( X; U> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
- l: B: k: v. G. U3 O9 L' T( l( i: H> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
& O$ r0 h" h& Y8 D% ?8 @> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
7 {9 s' n# Q9 X> 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
) k; o$ F! U7 Y0 M> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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" f" a- Z% A) ~1 o1 b, G> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# s' e3 u/ x5 Q! [; ^' _> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
! n9 z: e$ }; L9 R  i6 o; @) Z* Q" Z7 u> 1. Delete
, j& s3 x4 [7 B> 2. Forward
>
- c: t8 {: T' n1 Q. v> May your day, be a Shay Day.