Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
! {! K9 O% v( ^' @( a. y: a> same choice?
>
& G9 r% d3 I( [" P) E> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" }  J$ o8 i4 B+ f: S$ y: x/ V> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
/ `! L( K7 }% `0 D- L> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> 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
% W: g  h  [0 H  O* m> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
5 v2 U: j+ @5 f) t8 h" s; f> natural order of things in my son?'
, c/ d  Y7 P2 Q3 ^1 T>
> 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
$ Z: ^! y7 n% m& v5 j> treat that child.'
>
3 B. ]( R& q7 Z( y! h6 L> Then he told the following story:
>
4 p7 e( h4 j/ D$ s( }3 Y. D& V) }> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 F5 w- S. `. ~! H+ v) J> 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,
  d1 E' n  r. D8 i4 i> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
9 x+ o) K+ a1 Z1 H>
, V1 ^  k9 ]/ T> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 i+ x: @# a  l" M1 S* s> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
" Z# u- C; P7 E> 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.'
: ^7 X$ G, N: T  F>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# J- z5 K% W0 j' u( m6 N$ o8 n8 [> 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
> 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
; j9 L7 Z2 D) p/ W  C+ k/ M> 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
2 r& @. o4 S5 O- L# ]+ x> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
$ C/ H; I! m. W' n) K" A> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
& \2 C. c7 E9 b! N1 J> 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
6 I/ ~0 |" S; o0 ~8 E! H* |% Z4 G> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
. g/ x% p  `' y& J$ s> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
4 n' y% g" e3 J) Q> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
8 L4 |" M3 M- c3 M' T% V4 G" F3 `> 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
; o& c2 T7 ^, j! A# J) _& c/ X> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& J& w" f( U1 C: x+ K( ?  O. s> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
2 a4 O- V) e* Y" H3 ~4 J6 I4 Q> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
: e- Y2 h: ?( c" Q& y& A4 L# K> 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
' C; W3 x0 y; A$ K& ~/ z> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
$ L% `* Q% q$ H0 X) J5 _# y  R> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
, {/ l, o3 A0 ]8 M> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
- i( \0 |5 h4 X1 C> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
; d3 i2 e  W( v1 T$ R/ |> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
: g' b  e9 u- S  c> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ e% B, V5 ]- F: ?! O6 G% P% f> 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.
( P" U* |7 F) t& X/ W6 @>
> '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'.
>
( l7 i5 u( \) s, T% @& ^> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) ?6 V$ K- H9 c> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
5 P7 P( u4 w: x) G> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
: I7 Z# J  j% C6 W2 d> 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.
( L; q6 }8 A1 p  a- y7 R>
> 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
$ z8 A0 y7 c/ a4 k" C5 Y2 H> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
, {# n" V9 V8 Z. ~& b: M$ W> 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
1 J4 z: A9 l" W4 q$ |: ~0 M> 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
> bit colder in the process?
& q$ V( H6 E* p: u# J4 b>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% I4 o! k5 ]1 g. y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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. A, B- q" U. M& e% h> You now have two choices:
; d2 i3 A$ z) W1 Y' _> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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% H- k& M" E8 B& ]7 J> May your day, be a Shay Day.