Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. [. y% j3 `& _: l4 h> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
. M5 ]9 U7 A7 o0 Q> same choice?
, r) M! s  y" N8 `8 Q# q>
3 @/ Q. M% {: I4 I" ]> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
3 `' w4 @6 d2 F- \) i> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
0 ^/ C) L7 b; e7 w> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
+ i2 ?; T7 ]% m( G: G> 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
: |1 u! x* r( C$ p, U. D> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
5 u8 p7 `5 B. x5 e# e/ K3 ]>
) I; D4 A3 a1 x" e$ l: i% v> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
1 Y, p4 ]% n/ Z5 {% i$ A4 o> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
, |# f0 r* h7 ?* n3 X' N, B> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
4 W1 c3 O% F/ a* ~5 ^  K+ O6 x7 @>
  u9 Y/ l9 ~7 p0 O+ }: u, j" E, D/ f> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
+ B  T$ [" C1 W3 D> 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
; l2 U7 R, m3 s! G/ j) S: I- u> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
! N. ]9 L. G! {) |>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 j  K' r& w3 p" s/ k' p' B> 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
: T% y( t1 c3 G> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 Q  q% |# @) k- r4 {1 S> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
5 B' ?$ u& q* n( E, B> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
# w6 `% H" x& m, `3 A% J> 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
! J" @4 e6 ~3 b. C& C0 D# P9 z> 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
> 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
+ [6 @+ O& {& P> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
( Z; S, z6 D! ~. t  A" y+ S> 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,
> 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
: G/ r) y2 x9 ^> 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.
& F6 m/ M2 ^) P! @" ]- p; R% ^: V+ h> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' P  M. j- ?4 @% W# I  e6 e> right back to the pitcher.
>
, {- B  ^1 e# B: I6 B> 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
2 X- x: t: V6 F) ?5 d" c( Y2 B> out and that would have been the end of the game.
% x; o6 }& y# y>
- X4 R$ t: r4 R' P  n> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
/ h$ z! E: M/ E> 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
, L( ^5 B8 V' F> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
4 G4 K! ~/ u2 {2 \3 y1 R. f! {> wide-eyed and startled.
>
$ _4 B) z- ^& e- a' s> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
3 Z; X/ Q/ T6 _" I* A> 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
> 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,
6 S* U7 ~# j# g9 U% u+ B> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
8 d. D3 D/ y- [8 K! S/ E- }> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
! w' w: [" f: d>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
  p) w  c  x% L8 w> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 C" O. O$ A4 U3 l) k, x2 q6 Q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
1 R4 s0 ^$ h( ~5 R; ?2 ]' M1 X2 g> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
: l9 w* E2 h  @. `) Y9 ]6 t> 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.
" A  G/ ~* S9 A8 P7 T7 I>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  }  X- t2 X" ]" P( N( J> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
! Q6 \& a# l8 Z% T+ D1 I$ I> 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!
>
> 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.
( m& a$ }9 j: H/ j1 Z  t6 N% v>
> 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
> '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
! j$ u3 a/ S0 [  T4 `> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
- i, T' L% y) s1 ^+ x> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
* {+ m; b! A8 ~) a1 h1 V> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
7 Q8 a* J$ ]7 |; \; P  B>
0 N6 J9 J: n, h8 l% C2 ~* \; H* q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
  s% \( j5 ?% m9 f1 G>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
  {8 |1 k9 Q. e; V* H* X>
3 c+ L# E6 D0 r* R/ [> May your day, be a Shay Day.