Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
5 n: k9 c7 L! S7 ]1 G> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
# @  _8 o$ m* S3 h. Z3 q  v5 P7 o> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  M7 z$ K, T+ \. @> same choice?
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6 a( T; ?9 }* a% o' q3 S  C- a> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
) ?) ]/ ^/ I' D5 e! f  y> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
6 v  r; U1 c0 h) u! p# f+ V& t> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
+ n3 k9 U7 ^, B> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
- D2 i; E8 k0 u+ o, E* C* k> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
0 [5 |4 U2 p( b3 q# Z4 _> 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
* ?5 U( E  P: i+ w4 N' g> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
3 N$ k0 p- m3 ^# b8 W) q: B6 f> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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6 x& ]- Q. F( a8 N  g. U> Then he told the following story:
>
3 g* v0 ?- g0 c' l3 \% E> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
8 E+ p8 u7 n4 J, U) [# I> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
- |+ R& M3 p8 W: Y> 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,
/ y  }5 e6 D6 v4 g7 n; |$ u% w  o> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
, z" _3 J) t5 D. E/ \> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 [3 H- a1 b/ A, ?, O. i2 J> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
. M% j9 b( p3 j+ h: U/ T> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
, ^6 z) `# V. D. R7 g> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
) Y/ T, \$ `) u7 m  l% j' ]> 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
> 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
( K4 R6 w9 ?' b2 p5 b3 [8 i> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
, F4 _5 o- }6 y. O7 }4 n$ r> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
( j: ~* n, p1 R/ q! Y1 a- u: k> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
5 s, ^  }# p+ L$ r> 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
; p: W" S2 Z0 p4 A> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
, C; Y+ R% L4 ?: N& G> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
( |" c% t7 ^( W1 b  ?> 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
" H! A7 S2 s7 N) W6 H> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
# `# J1 S; _1 q3 V> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
; i5 u- T" C9 h. R- \% x/ z> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
5 l- N& A& o5 L& O) U6 N> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
# Y5 ~$ V% r7 O1 [& H. ]> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
) _, c8 J* n* n> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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: N4 J6 U: V1 M( e/ N* s1 y, I% \: {> 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
> 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
* A1 ~2 R3 T5 }* [0 \> circled the bases toward home.
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" f+ R! Q- n  R> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
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> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
- O, R+ X# l% D3 G6 E> 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
> into this world'.
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! E6 L/ K6 b# L) {  c/ K) h7 {> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ _- P( b$ X: X) f> 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!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
0 A: Y5 m) ]9 F# h* E> 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
; J7 z7 n) i" R' }2 ]> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 I+ p3 A. ^# b& T2 R( X> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
9 L( x: i+ C4 P% O& Q8 Y> '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
$ K4 j/ ^! c! M# u6 W0 N/ D  o7 n> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
- F8 I1 N0 Z& w; ]> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
* h4 Q( C* ]* Y/ Y. ?4 }$ E) g$ _> bit colder in the process?
0 i6 D1 O" N# a6 H0 B* B>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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1 N- O$ x, H7 }1 H> You now have two choices:
( m( h4 `: N( a> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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. f- J9 W( x% d; u> May your day, be a Shay Day.