Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
8 G6 C4 g. }. N; ?$ y  \) C> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
$ o  _" a2 s! a& H> same choice?
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> 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
2 L; e. P' z" A; j' ?> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
0 i: u5 x3 R* c; I& v$ ^- f> staff, he offered a question:
>
/ _5 e8 S- B; m" K> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
2 m* E' g" X% B8 A8 f/ z> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
7 K+ e" Q6 j! M3 I/ |& s0 Q: k> The audience was stilled by the query.
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# o2 ^9 U; q5 P" \# |6 B> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. p- X. Y. `! K1 d+ m) C> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
- t2 a" y2 A3 u8 B8 \- X7 ?' ^> 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
> 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
> 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.
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0 @2 p7 W3 f: |( E> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
> 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.'
>
& @# z% F* c! W; ?0 y% O: K> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# }# W, ?  N4 f+ o1 K* @> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
/ z  x. W( X: d6 w> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
- \/ H4 y+ U7 u8 O> 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 w+ u+ p: W1 Q: s5 J> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
9 h/ v) v1 H7 e# R! E& G> 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
$ ^' m2 E5 ]$ _  r7 ]9 Z9 c> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
' w$ {+ K/ }7 Y' p( N> much less connect with the ball.
7 L7 A2 l8 X: ~9 j8 M% H, k> 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
, G0 z' s" |. N+ z6 e> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; c7 \1 {: x- M5 M> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 w. G8 D$ Y* ~! f8 \6 q8 G> 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.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
# q1 d. r* C3 N, y> 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.
>
! N: G1 {: _  G9 Q" V9 U> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
& F5 |4 [+ n+ C& J+ j> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ y" D7 S4 g' _, {> 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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. @) v2 [6 ^. P9 b  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
> 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
. ]9 u0 d8 Q  r2 c4 A5 V2 ?8 ~! P9 `> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
( M, y: Z! u0 N; {- T/ F) |/ s> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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9 n' c/ D! o- a) I) F* Q> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
' c3 P2 D1 W1 [; D# b> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
5 Q8 ]- v  m7 k8 A4 K: J> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
! }8 I% F" r5 M! r) T5 r2 z/ b> 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
1 d, R" X$ @1 y4 z* E0 w> 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
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>
> 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!
>
1 p' h/ |- g/ L& a% H( Q> 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
% e$ c5 P9 R, O# j> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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+ |0 x) e$ a0 ]" i" d5 b> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
/ J! d! U+ y, q# i, H+ A> 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
" v1 t9 w2 P- a2 `  n9 J  F> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
# g# e: n! p9 [, o1 B3 s> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
4 }  y0 N- S2 N/ ^/ x4 R> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
( H% V2 o1 o. H; Y> 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
  ~; V/ g' C! }; {6 v6 a> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
! `# n& O- B6 G> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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8 U( H4 T2 Q6 i( z0 [> You now have two choices:
* }" N9 }2 ~+ r! t$ E+ @2 A& z> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.