Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' ?8 b! _8 g# \% o% R% }( D> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  k& L. k7 E/ c) Z> same choice?
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* W9 A. U0 b' v/ O" D8 S> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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0 T- i: M* p  Y6 X1 y( B0 ~> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; Q, ^! z" r6 B# L' ~> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 Z% n( F1 {0 ]; r, J6 m> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
- r  l! X9 Q1 s/ n7 D4 c1 B* u' y> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
0 \3 [6 A+ i! z9 ?$ ~6 R( v> 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.'
>
. \+ g: `+ X  r9 @" v2 ]+ v# Z2 C2 r> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: v; N6 M% h$ h# k- @" g) o3 K7 y! V> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
6 K7 Z+ p3 X- K1 R8 y! e7 l5 B$ ?> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
' }- a4 w  e, Y" ]2 F% V; O" R: n> 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
* F' W+ \9 c1 R/ f4 E! ]3 o> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' n* ]0 d' \3 J> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
1 e3 a( v* @: a> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
0 q7 W: {8 K* K$ N& Z9 r+ p6 E> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> 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
: N0 ?( ?. O& c! \; M7 n> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
4 o- ]+ Q5 y  n4 @4 q> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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$ _( K$ k3 N( a> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 J* j2 C/ b8 C- O9 u- h> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
% r: B; b6 n0 ?* \# t- w> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
# X) K6 h* m6 ~1 d( o$ U* D" m> 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
" `3 }; M  w6 G- i% e. E> 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
4 Y. e& C) f; a> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
% j- I$ H5 g. @6 A7 z# {> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
; a1 f/ s" j# v! ?/ {* Q> wide-eyed and startled.
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& }1 ]7 i1 _8 q9 w6 d; r> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
6 T% `9 Y6 `  G/ L. f> 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
4 }  J) Y4 F0 }: `9 }> 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
: `0 L+ P* A) |) ~/ f/ |( A> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
, l, m& q9 S( B! q, l) ^; {2 w> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
* a  D0 q# R# k/ U9 J- b) I> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 E0 `/ j8 o# i* n2 M> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
+ o7 h% B# Y, H! G4 }8 x> Shay, run to third!'
+ |2 v6 T* `/ Q0 a' W  m" I; {>
7 O/ Q4 s0 ]8 ?6 Q; t> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
' W$ L  C/ s1 H* V  W4 Z& k6 C> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
' a; f! d  R3 g4 G# w3 D) q9 Y+ L> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
$ p  R. m* d, b6 |3 `) t0 B9 n> game for his team.
>
( V  y3 j& H6 H$ k. @> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 V9 E  ^( O$ y8 }7 W5 a1 G5 _> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
: Q6 f8 x7 r0 w4 L% t> into this world'.
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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
% Y& c9 F$ e# U, y+ n0 F> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  V3 J2 v" s  s+ X* o4 _4 M5 V> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
% P" l. }6 X4 _- l! K. U# B> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" N1 k" M; _' q- W> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
" v5 @" `3 t0 I0 G+ e2 w> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
' {5 v+ ]2 e$ v$ g) k, H> 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
/ T' u0 B! T5 |/ }> bit colder in the process?
$ |: S$ R. f5 ~8 R2 S( A>
$ E7 J4 x& j' p% C& X7 c> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
7 u7 a1 b3 x* L* y  v* \> 1. Delete
+ Y9 G6 W+ t7 Z4 ]> 2. Forward
>
& v" p( |4 Q9 a$ J* _4 a> May your day, be a Shay Day.