Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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9 f3 P) m7 b4 _9 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
) ^9 L1 R. \: _  _+ E2 h) `: Q% ?> same choice?
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" ^# K( H, f3 ?> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
& x! N( V& f9 `7 j' l( v/ @. x> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
7 c! F3 `5 {2 u> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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* m# J+ S; V7 X& Z> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
2 R7 M: p) m4 ^* P6 o3 d> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
$ W% f$ k2 t- T( s+ \: S> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
  Z3 s8 h+ R5 d! O  Q  [9 X3 E, G> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
, m- f$ w: r5 H6 f. ^; T> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
5 U( `2 \; X4 w8 y> 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.'
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# W  [. C. M: T; q, m( p1 {> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ i7 T# h7 z' z, H$ ~" P> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
% d7 I5 Z2 Y$ _; ]9 g# y4 u3 Q> 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
: }2 J! s+ t0 ~+ i# S6 Q0 ^> 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
/ D6 ?8 X- l) W; r9 _+ ^% p> 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.
>
* i" B1 y" ]5 S1 _7 s0 ~> 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
4 M5 _5 [9 V9 H3 u> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
' e: ~1 C4 s; R$ r# G% w0 E. {> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
4 v8 }7 @- u5 _( L8 t> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
6 o. V) U1 F) g  P/ ]> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
" E, T& T# E- l' R& I> 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.
0 \- B5 g. O/ \7 F9 l: n> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
" ^; ^, K; J) r7 ~; y% L> 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
/ C; E* @# m# W5 w0 X  N* [: _> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
7 Y3 [/ w. `- c0 A7 ]> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
: q( L; q" ^4 [( n> 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,
9 _6 {" X" a9 m% ^> wide-eyed and startled.
>
& b' p" k3 R, _4 E2 s7 V> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
" D3 c' Q" M- v  {; H1 F' u3 x0 q> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
3 b& M- H! H7 q( [# o; d> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
' n$ A- w7 ?  C+ f# Q; u) j> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
" @! E# `6 c0 z9 s; c) d9 Y> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
- S9 W' K2 ]5 y, K: n> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
! c8 V2 @. B$ X" D3 z" a: ?> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
8 D1 k# N4 G5 @8 q' W> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( L) g) |. a0 [  L& q% f> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
% @' L4 Q/ L, J( e8 W> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
( }- r5 P, {/ Q! o& j. P0 g" x+ i( g) Y> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
" b( F' T9 l- N0 V1 U( `6 u# A4 f* O> game for his team.
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* ^; P$ i& p; l* m) g  t> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
9 \6 N0 {" s* b8 H/ l> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
; f, q. B, h" `> 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
$ x$ w, o* A- f4 c, a" t: 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
> 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
4 H/ E+ ]+ Y( L& I5 h> 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
$ b( d! c" C0 p$ c3 t> 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?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 t* n/ E8 C" F9 f- r$ @> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
- `4 W8 r% L9 g3 ~* h$ ~> You now have two choices:
" q# m) O# P& d( p6 L" h, n> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
- ~8 M% e( {3 m& h> May your day, be a Shay Day.