Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
" U7 b" j/ N# ~- r0 g$ m0 F> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, r/ L0 v) a+ h6 H; ?7 F6 P2 G> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
4 P/ u# e4 \8 R  j% {> same choice?
7 e% _- s3 v, d) v>
5 I) q# o$ s. o, }2 l( |> 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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
. @  R9 T7 r* `  I" U5 }> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 Z' U* Z1 g1 S6 }1 k9 q> 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.
>
> 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
> treat that child.'
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4 g( K% x, p3 A, z7 M$ O> Then he told the following story:
>
* n7 F0 D+ d+ f> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
+ `; ^( A1 k. O& B& o0 l' n* y> 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
% J5 _+ s. o8 r4 Y! V0 w> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
) G$ a. Y! B( ?2 C> 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
5 W) U# N" M% O: q  ]6 _> 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
7 j& O; ?. E, \. X3 t8 C# g5 X- E> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
8 }( \# j5 S2 M; [, K+ K> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
0 T7 v% Z( n6 A7 ^3 ~> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
% [5 {9 t% c1 `> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
, B, d" z. j) t; p( A) ^# u> 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
6 D; O6 X' k2 A> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
3 W" c0 b3 j  j# {% _2 i> 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
0 {7 P; `, ^2 `" O- t: v) Y/ w> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
3 x( m) }" ]0 j8 M1 P& I% x> next at bat.
>
> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
% `/ B, K6 K4 N/ [/ u- m' n2 [) }> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, O6 M. }. u- U6 W- b: y> 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
+ |: L8 n/ |$ A> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
! r% R2 s  Y0 w1 [! e0 f  @> 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.
8 L2 P) w, L$ w>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
; q' E' s, z( N> 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
1 W0 X6 |9 W# \' b7 o8 _% N> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( K' M! ~6 p; J# l) o> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
2 h/ c% O: d4 u! n" |4 Y5 h( \' Q> 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
9 ~  }" z: d( v4 e; j7 d+ |> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
6 T. A1 b. f% K$ Y8 k% q> 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,
# M' j9 V+ [" Z5 R. s> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
5 W. [4 T" d5 @" ~: d>
& c+ u% `  b0 V1 p) \3 O> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
3 f! j! q3 w' ~9 Z& b+ U7 f( @> 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!'
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, O( E! Y, e2 n7 z" s' f> 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
9 E' l7 f! r5 U> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> '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
& i/ a, \- P1 R& {. s7 x> into this world'.
+ W- \; g) y  N+ }>
# b( n  ~9 m2 I' \! E> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 P( I5 l. d/ B( z8 Y' V  z4 p7 B> 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.
5 Z$ P1 G4 y( w% ]1 T* a>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' P8 J( @" O7 j' a> 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
' H& L/ X0 x7 [# ~- O. E4 P$ w% b> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
/ W5 l) J2 H. U" Q% Z6 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?
  k: B, f: p- H& \8 O& N6 M>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
6 {( j2 j4 B' ?$ z- \* i> You now have two choices:
% n0 Y" _# f- |4 o& c5 m> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
5 }# s! q( K. Y! a7 j> May your day, be a Shay Day.