Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
5 \. N: k* R9 v: w  _8 ?" \>
> 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
> same choice?
9 P4 `$ v2 P& U! W>
> 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
, D- D( F9 |, m6 _; X- l0 ~> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
3 J2 I; ?. @: F9 l* C0 o7 D>
# I6 |& p) [4 |4 |# O> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 k$ q- ?& d* ?5 z& R' F5 S" w- N> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
7 ?4 [) n7 v0 P0 A- Z> natural order of things in my son?'
>
& H2 W- |* D5 P' C% C2 v> The audience was stilled by the query.
$ y2 A1 F( H( A8 q- G>
9 l0 W# p9 A7 {, E5 f> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ `5 t0 I: u1 A& X> treat that child.'
# I' }, H. C6 ^5 G' E8 d" _>
> Then he told the following story:
/ y3 J) F9 L' r>
/ r& Q: n7 S# y5 t% Y- W9 v" t0 X$ s7 X> 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
) U+ K5 k% B9 G& d> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
4 d( s8 C0 q4 ^$ ?: I> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
. C6 e& ^' O6 b6 o9 ~$ B> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
1 |! I2 m" Z8 E* w, Q> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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.'
) m5 B( h- S- W0 _>
> 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
2 i% j- x4 @6 I0 D6 H> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
; l5 Q8 ]4 [0 i& D( f5 i; h> 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
4 S$ ^) d8 J1 q: f; e> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
+ z* Q- Y) [/ z) e( t8 r> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
. t; ?( k) f4 m9 N% y2 p- q( ]> 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
> next at bat.
>
0 [: J# T& u2 h$ `' Y- c8 l> 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,
+ @: h3 t6 K( w3 d6 w! k2 U& V> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
& Q# n6 ^! ?# h0 T2 P> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
/ z. ~( l/ Y- S7 P0 [> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
9 v0 M) S3 c: x> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
- @" j& V$ U3 C2 J! g> 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
/ O* l+ \- ]$ e# D) ~8 M; W> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
* p, z& r2 a- W4 Z  `>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
6 h5 M! \- z$ c9 {> 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
' \2 V+ u) h8 W7 D+ \" P& |> 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
0 z* a- K3 r* O9 d; \# C1 q> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
# B, z5 A0 t/ W> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
* ?" h0 `& M1 ]# z) h>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
0 N( s% C/ Y; b0 E0 B> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
! u' S  N1 u  E2 k2 M> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  |. }- ^  d$ ]> 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'.
>
' D9 \0 X, ?# x  y% W' Q. T- d> 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!
2 @1 u1 [, `" M- d# u  Y>
: [% i* [& E  e8 N2 O. p* G8 `> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
, c5 j  m# O6 L5 U( J) R, k7 i. L> 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
. z' c  S* l4 Q$ {+ l> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
* H% N% a" M0 M8 s$ F1 v! g> 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
7 _; U6 W( W# |, O5 E$ o- ~> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
& M5 ]$ [) p! V3 I> 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
> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
6 W  _* X1 X9 ^# _>
> You now have two choices:
4 }4 b, G# G" q9 Z, X> 1. Delete
4 V, N& S5 s0 g2 W% q9 ]: u> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.