Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
  B3 C. c7 C7 L( s% }& R1 c>
> 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
; t( S* _( n( ]+ j> same choice?
& R, g7 x) a/ a+ @1 v" }, H# b>
> 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
$ f7 D8 \+ o) ?: |  m. f9 \1 M0 o> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
0 ?% r0 z5 j$ W! ~% [> staff, he offered a question:
8 z6 C, B) q/ I; ?>
> '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
$ H6 L& G3 p- |7 W+ m6 D# b/ D> natural order of things in my son?'
>
( W; w. E5 o1 K; P' y  Z> The audience was stilled by the query.
7 J8 k" ~7 I% D- p8 q>
1 }% M6 b9 z. \2 R/ U( f7 @8 c> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% H% S2 M6 @0 K* O* T! d> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
) u5 H4 J* G, w  m> treat that child.'
8 `; N$ M* d1 I- u>
> Then he told the following story:
" g, F# k! _5 R! T>
> 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
$ E1 N/ ?- N. ^) q# A> 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
3 z8 J' I$ V3 A/ r, }" j% Q> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
' s0 |/ ^7 y% Y) V7 C) e, m>
2 W4 N0 d; o! @* d. `> 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
, N' V) i+ O( z3 \> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
- \" C0 b. j; l3 }, C>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. {& U" N% \' s> 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
' c4 n$ J/ U) H# E3 A. ^/ x% M> 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
, T) f. o; t  T8 U& G9 U> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% P! [7 A5 C8 c4 w) m: O) {3 l> 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
+ k; D; g  ]- I; D3 l> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
! t+ L/ u/ v3 `6 n6 ~* u> next at bat.
* G. a$ n/ B+ r8 s2 S>
6 C8 u& f$ l6 `2 @0 w4 l> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
' N; ]# t% T, d- O' i$ R> 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,
0 P8 R6 b$ `) |0 [> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 H; P4 q% q; K- W' C( f> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
9 y7 F" e& @6 f& u) O/ _0 \8 u6 }> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
, J4 p- n2 U' D$ ]0 n; q# R" Q% T1 U> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
" w7 V0 Z% k' }% c" O2 b! v> 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
3 C. e% ]- l2 _+ [> right back to the pitcher.
0 Q  K/ t1 P4 J  N) a" ?- u>
5 e' c0 I0 Q* o% ^: x7 p> 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.
! K2 \; E; C: X7 H8 p>
' r0 h6 m! F( U  }> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
, x6 ]" S5 z! \0 w> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
# B3 D0 x9 ?- w6 K9 \$ V9 O> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
4 c, H& a0 h2 R: D  s3 y4 X> 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
# C! j2 ]4 e  h( q, D% U6 r' q- n5 `> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
' |( Q0 |  V  q> 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
& x; y- k8 E) D/ A8 r> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
7 F* v5 ~8 i1 p- j>
  `' B/ ~# I( {> 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!
7 U. \7 q* s1 Z4 J1 J, E' L> Shay, run to third!'
! C  E& m8 B8 p& J2 p- e' Z>
> 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
> game for his team.
" V( ?* C8 n" P9 \& K# |>
> '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'.
>
# T0 Q- K; z' l8 S# @> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
0 {% ~0 c5 y/ N7 r3 P- \( X7 r2 A7 e9 e> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
8 k2 q9 T3 b4 a% `> 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
> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
2 a4 }: g3 D; l) i/ }> 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
> 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
$ ^" N+ G/ ]3 X5 J0 A4 {; o> bit colder in the process?
2 U4 O5 i% {! R& _5 F8 |0 p% \>
$ f% T; a$ i0 O9 }& p* Z( Q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
; b3 o6 ^  C9 f# {- h5 I2 |> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
; D, i4 V7 e' e# y, q, N>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.