Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
. _* Y7 }+ X- w3 p5 P6 l> 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
' J0 D" o- }4 ]# k( C3 T' Y6 v> same choice?
>
6 Z% S- M* r. a! }4 r5 J7 ~> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ `& X1 ?, C8 V+ Y  J> 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
$ t; U0 f7 S/ C/ ~* l) {/ S) p* N> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
) ?" K4 ]( a, l9 M: |> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* o( ~# P' t9 Y7 @> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% S7 b. m, v6 R$ k$ w/ I> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
0 P; W7 I* E4 Y/ 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
> 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
$ ?5 y2 C) W3 V/ U6 C+ N> 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
1 B& b$ D1 W! E' j( K, j% e> inning.'
$ B) e& w$ q+ b  m>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! l( z2 E) a* i! G5 p> 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
: q. F7 C2 g" b2 w9 @2 N' D$ X> 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
; x  n. {: G. k& G/ H. e. Y9 F> 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
' c% g  u7 U* Y5 M> 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
; |8 s, X/ C, L> next at bat.
>
; y/ z$ m2 v$ G6 p6 k> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ [, w0 z$ B& T. o> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
3 n. L. R$ s7 d7 @2 a; F> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
* m( G9 ]' F! M6 N- A/ ~> much less connect with the ball.
6 ~$ e9 H0 i. d% U; M; ]> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
* B7 t$ u$ |" `0 s" Q) ~> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
, w* g- U, s! t  D> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
$ e; b, B* l& v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
$ h4 T: x. q) }  H>
> 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
% S: Q. z9 h+ D- p1 n> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
  `% z- F8 T) 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
' E4 w  Z) \5 L7 t> 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'
>
" y  T- b" t5 C& n2 `; A( Y, _> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" M- U$ `  S' q% G& _> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
& z7 Q# W1 k* Y8 r5 J1 t>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
: N( {2 @& N% m. ~, z+ M' Y> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
9 N% @$ v$ _' g; i1 `6 N> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
' |1 X  `+ G+ `: d, r$ r> game for his team.
) q$ p. `' C9 l>
' m% w. ]$ _: W> '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
' a! \& j, I: S/ d2 _: P; {* G> 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!
>
> 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
0 X! k( R' S' @; T! u0 C( a$ S> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
0 p6 b2 n$ d' c3 X% D' o/ x4 u>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% B7 {& `& h% y* z% ]> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
+ p* {9 f3 F# j' Q% h> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
3 w$ D$ F0 n; p) Z$ T* d, Y> 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
2 G3 p0 i* ]- H8 ]3 h' D> 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?
>
- m9 [; p6 p6 W3 h> A wise man once said every society is judged by
& v3 b* b. w% U4 W$ [> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
. c6 ?: X2 B, L8 G+ Y! j>
; b9 J" N; \, f9 a5 @7 F0 \> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
$ ^1 x, W( k+ v- \> 2. Forward
>
4 ^. a! m& C$ F2 r> May your day, be a Shay Day.