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
$ J  \# n/ Y# q0 P/ g( S> same choice?
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> 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
7 R; k0 {4 L, d> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
  b' `7 Z( k2 q3 r  D2 w> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 E7 |" P- j# m/ D* Z: [; s2 w+ `5 _> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 C: T3 ]+ e7 b. M, o7 d* C% B1 e* J> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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! g7 Z0 R2 I& S8 g6 F8 V0 b> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
5 j0 V% j$ j+ b, N, ?+ X> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
% ?% H: S) D: z! L> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
* s5 O. P! n( I% a- y0 m: n1 E. Y>
> Then he told the following story:
>
! v, q! c; Z( T& V; v" p# q* x! }> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 C4 F: y, k" F$ [9 b> 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,
6 R- Y! X( C/ V  |6 h5 }> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
% \  Z0 i6 R, k0 ]6 t- ]4 x> 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
( ~; u( d' v" W7 n  N; v> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
' }- @8 S9 T) L( n' x: ^> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
5 q* [& [9 `  R; Y% o+ _0 n" X4 ?( x7 y% d>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
9 W% p& G- H1 u: o2 w9 ]+ t+ E> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
( V% I( ]$ F: |$ X$ C! u' l% r> 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
, m  U& _8 Q8 c% p/ k> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 ^! Q" c1 t1 U7 b> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
* F; P! g$ ]: M5 d+ J2 S" e, l0 r> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
5 p( \: m. A! V2 t3 U& A> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
' ?4 C7 V  N' e. u7 |5 a> next at bat.
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> 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
# f/ r5 S' ~- @) P) i> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
4 E5 m, O, P" V- F- M; _> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
( r4 V& u' ]: N* `6 u1 C1 n" s> 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
, r2 `  ^# [4 M+ N$ N( D% K> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
3 R0 l. O) W, @1 R> 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
/ R1 h6 i4 Y3 s3 X% Y> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ ^  _# [4 J0 n/ T% h2 ]  S. \' i# Q> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
4 F" _. a4 W7 Z+ |  _3 ^> 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
' G. J$ O# R3 I/ _> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
8 C* u- `5 ^3 b) c9 H- T2 D* q9 r> 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
; [4 ~$ c0 T- n; Z$ G> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> 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
! C: ~6 `9 R/ V> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
0 o6 v* M' w: ?3 g: t3 o9 c( _, j> Shay, run to third!'
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) `& F* a; z. @5 @> 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
> 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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% b+ ~, S2 ?; a2 u, K1 _& l> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 k! j  V9 F* k9 i3 z$ _> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
1 b2 T4 k" \, f- x8 }> 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!
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> 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
7 L* r- Q+ B8 Z> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
3 K$ M/ ?; o$ u% i/ @1 L" W> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
, `* d8 z9 S* P" y# t/ ]> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
8 b7 f% U( Q8 @* s7 K' E# h> 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
( G3 [4 Z# F4 h/ g$ h  r3 f1 D) o> bit colder in the process?
7 R8 z/ I' b$ e  A2 X& r>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
5 I2 N) W$ m4 a9 q8 T8 L> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.