Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
3 u4 S- \9 n; h; k0 {1 y/ 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
8 y8 C! o) m8 s6 c, z> same choice?
>
> 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
! {6 r- H% O* i! K8 e9 x% }' k> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
" h6 D, u9 X7 H- H> staff, he offered a question:
& ~: W, ?& f4 a>
  l+ d3 L. @' k+ o! W* F  X  v> '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
) S9 g6 m, n' C* e! ~. S3 `7 e> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 b0 |* |$ Y2 p3 E( {: j/ t) B8 G> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
' K2 c  F& ^5 K- P' F1 D> treat that child.'
>
0 C2 `# C: q! y> Then he told the following story:
>
) w9 @+ c% n9 F> 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
$ C9 C# G3 h1 ^9 O/ f> 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
2 s' r& Q/ p% l- ?> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
( k2 m4 p' B9 b>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ d& J( d( \  W  a8 s0 P> 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
; V6 u; ~1 f" {0 I' e1 u1 F- ?% V> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
( A6 Q) }$ V  o: \8 Y: ?; E/ l, C> inning.'
1 Y5 D6 F( S' y/ ^( j>
> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
8 V& N8 A4 [$ y; x> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
& x! [% n- I$ \> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
7 W+ M3 S3 o' |9 \1 a5 a9 G> next at bat.
9 O  U$ |+ a) V>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ J* @+ t7 I# p> 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,
( X$ \$ K6 w) W$ _' Q/ I, ?( W4 j> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
. Q! G' x3 U) b3 Y8 @> 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
* s  C, D5 s' l7 \> 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
, m) a- `6 E5 a* I( ?: N> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' a  p. F& f: S" e( \> 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.
7 V" `: J: `% y) Z3 J% c>
& g! |6 @8 n, ^2 t2 |2 z> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 L+ e% o7 g  D: Q! I( a> 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
# P5 k. S, L1 M2 }+ x) S) Y0 w> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> 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
6 x: U  [* I3 p9 O+ O9 T( k+ B> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
& O/ P, o9 {+ ?! D% P5 G) n> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
- V; {. F; O# L. }( o8 V8 J> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
+ e% @3 ?) ?$ o$ O  E> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
- B  W6 i" i5 q: o3 K  T> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
, y$ j4 h  F$ ~0 l> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
" m  S5 e/ Y/ o8 ]3 d4 q7 f  J> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
3 z- L4 A$ Z8 ?/ y, U) F! ^+ ?>
. H! @2 k8 i" ^% v. p5 o> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
' _+ P9 k8 Y' O/ z> 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
> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
& Q3 W3 _/ Q# b% R- Q) U8 ^> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
* T) ^4 Z  ^2 m& w. e" I. x> 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
  m, Y% o9 I$ o4 ^8 @, B$ X" o> 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
. C8 G. _8 p6 B3 J3 T> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
0 d$ }1 H. P# ~) G" s>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
& g. n* w8 G) n/ L> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
2 `' ~0 ^0 `, e5 x9 p, B> '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
( a. m0 ~0 X. k& B  v$ s# `> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
# }8 |2 z5 ]: F' u& G8 N> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
6 G, W# m9 g# W: m# C: Q> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
6 A+ v- l0 V5 }" j% p1 R/ a> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
+ S2 A5 _; X" H8 Y>
1 L, t' x- e6 W( t( u; y; a! U> You now have two choices:
3 c9 c9 O( @  u  V% f9 N> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.