Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
& B' }# E7 ~3 w6 Y7 p* c# f>
> 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
$ I( F/ q- z0 w8 q5 ^% p0 ^" I> same choice?
, T/ z5 n( u% {" ]. V' X# r>
> 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
* M6 B2 g% x4 N8 u/ O% w> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
- j6 o$ j' f( Z4 U4 ^. _3 k5 ]$ X0 X> '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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
+ c2 I5 T9 u6 t  {" o>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
) e2 l1 B6 ]0 }( B- E# H> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
3 f% ^8 ?$ k# C9 ^+ M$ ?6 y& 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
+ P( N. T% F3 Z6 w> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
; _1 h  v+ a) m7 f2 S' G6 @> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
: E0 ^* ~8 t; n1 z5 y6 i> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
) D3 {! }( k: P% v: ~7 U2 q8 z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
# ~" t( G8 [" @7 Z5 ^5 u  k> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
* A8 R7 z# O/ L% @> 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.'
4 V( O9 K4 f1 E- n8 N>
6 H. P, h$ ]* I. R) D) T0 U> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
: l' @8 U" O3 w# f0 M. V  M& |) E/ U> 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
' l0 Q2 W2 X  C) e1 t> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
5 w( {5 x- b" i2 O7 l; m" k% C> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 n' M& n: x9 m+ e> 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
: g3 X4 o6 L8 Q' ^% d. a* m> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
- r9 G) u2 Z$ b9 f% m2 {- s; C> next at bat.
  |% c. Z7 f) n/ U4 z>
7 W& H, p' [7 T3 Y& J3 @6 C8 Y% Y> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
" W- H/ j- }  M% F6 \7 ^4 {/ M  |! h> 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,
+ F4 Y) ]3 u& V" ]( F/ B8 P> 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
8 M( y6 U  {! Q* v, C# P> 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
$ P$ l0 X( i5 i# p  |4 }+ N" S" x> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( o" }$ I, T3 R# q$ r9 a> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
, v. G9 `, U. e8 f4 }6 r' |. p' {> out and that would have been the end of the game.
" [% |$ k+ w* R" v$ u. l. ?>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
1 B6 Q7 I- M, ~- t2 ?9 N% o> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
; D$ J6 n. C7 P& x> 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.
+ J/ r7 o: i' M' ~3 X! y" v+ ~6 m>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
9 C! p" {* \  {- g' L, R) z; E- P5 B> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
" v. m3 ?) X) O: D* @) _> 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
) `- F; q3 D, O> 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
$ c1 p0 y! S6 O# l> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
& u$ T" T6 I: i- n> circled the bases toward home.
>
" Q. ?3 ~$ U- z5 s: l+ x> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
& \4 E$ a2 l. n" a. v. b6 D; G. Q> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
6 z4 m( {7 P7 i  N; C3 q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
# H( a& A! C6 R* s6 ^" u" U6 x/ s% V, J, c>
; ?8 d& ^8 X; y0 o# P> 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
, ?% Z9 D  K) [& F( O# n> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
/ W9 |1 I# u/ B> game for his team.
: ?$ D2 v: X. T; J% ^7 p>
> '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'.
, S! t" b  e; V# K" x; |7 p>
> 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!
: m& G( _- t6 z, R0 m) S' n>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
0 h9 v; f% f! x9 H) h> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
# u  R" Q+ o. e8 n% K, k( c> 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.
  G( B/ u. m9 c>
4 I) I' @: Z$ A5 d> 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
> '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
' o/ ]: X( |+ L7 p4 t+ s0 r> 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
0 @' m5 L* W. E, k> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
. |0 }" q0 K. p4 v- M# L5 J9 p" t5 ?> bit colder in the process?
0 h+ T  N3 x" ?>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
  o' c2 U+ ]$ l+ l> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
* T: G" W9 S# o> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
4 v( [+ ?! H& x& v$ e> 2. Forward
4 N5 r" d. F; b, x' ~>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.