Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
0 f$ }" z. t( t- C2 r> 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
& k( n" ?- y' z9 K  ~1 \, y> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 a8 E; \. M5 t- _! F4 @. B> 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
9 M3 P0 B# D4 W. {% N- G( S* W) h> staff, he offered a question:
& G; U- X7 ]/ M) q( W6 l. O6 h>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 m0 Q4 y* |% o: v+ P1 {> 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
, p# v+ C7 X) Y0 k/ T- W+ h* I> 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
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
0 e: I  b3 A3 p1 i: M> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; Y# L$ ]. y- R$ r/ m> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
4 d2 U3 C) w, ^2 @; n> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
- V, i1 x: S) _- f  h( E9 V> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
5 x6 \* B# P+ W>
" T0 O& h  }/ _> 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
; J% w# F) O% A3 k> 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
7 ]& i- g; }( O9 x7 R+ E4 V> inning.'
, ?1 l  ^, q& v+ o>
$ ^0 S" g$ V8 K1 D> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ {0 m% r* g' H> 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
& N. p2 f% i2 T+ N! @  O0 W3 R$ ^> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
7 d- R- }0 T6 b, Z8 Q$ w( k> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
4 b4 r. h1 l5 P9 J3 _3 n> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
3 i& J$ }4 _5 D> 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
> next at bat.
7 ^" |/ A" [: i' ]>
$ ]2 c- N, ~. A> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 k1 P- r5 A. V& z1 \> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
2 G! s5 v) ]7 _> 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
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
+ Z4 X4 h0 r4 C8 s% J> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
# h  H- `2 C6 ]' e) @8 P# W/ z* W> 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.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
% k  ~' r7 _# ?1 e3 I$ J> 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.
>
5 e$ y$ s/ u% t$ D6 B> 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
* u. g- z* r+ C0 @' `> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
( E& x. v) @5 z1 b4 h0 P! _& M> wide-eyed and startled.
3 Y0 q* k: v' ~- g>
) I7 S* q& }& ]( Z/ Z> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
0 _4 H1 [/ T* b  Q8 o% ?> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 ]& O. T2 U( c  f7 r8 Y& k! p> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
4 T. I9 ]" i% I0 O> 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
2 n+ S) n7 C* y9 _- l1 A> 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'
2 |/ H" y$ Q+ E3 n! {; b& G>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- ^+ C( n4 L% a0 m) t: D5 T; u> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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- I+ R$ x1 K; t  W> 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
4 q5 ~, S/ j: b* l. Z. _> 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,
4 }- V9 O' V. R* r7 [> '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
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
4 _  K( h  K+ J* l8 k' Y' A> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
: s; P* a0 D7 H: V6 j* M> 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.
1 _0 G/ r* H7 j  ?0 k* Y>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
* T0 m: i5 L0 t  N' e& x( E9 W* Q, j> 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
9 x# Q& R' ^1 {% A# S4 U3 m> 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
8 F9 Y; Q, f7 \, {( c> 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
" }1 L! z. T$ n> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
( t7 @/ L8 w0 C; n& {( m# t0 b> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
  S$ d9 a/ m9 j9 O0 B> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
& J! _- T2 a: [  p8 R5 Z9 [> You now have two choices:
& d, G& H. j# @0 J6 R' z> 1. Delete
0 h0 P- t( u0 O/ m: ~. v> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.