Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 R3 V1 K7 B7 H# x> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
0 b" _: o* S( t> same choice?
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8 r/ |2 F: H; d6 T> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
% K$ j6 z( F3 D( ]> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
8 ^1 Y8 Q, r$ V0 E; u$ t; s5 k> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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9 C. N. E; J/ s3 c$ _- G2 h> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
( ?3 p5 a( w( y) K, J, W8 ]> 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
- [* y9 ]0 _/ s! q> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& J/ P5 X( u; d. c% K> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
7 v- y" ~- ^7 h, X> treat that child.'
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% E3 Q( W% N# w6 i+ E> Then he told the following story:
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+ T4 s- u' f0 {: P> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 @7 M( D5 G8 E" n+ A6 ?> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
/ c- e5 i1 u* ]3 ~9 R> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
* ]$ w& R$ C" b7 a> 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
) N9 d% f5 [0 P. @8 e5 J0 S( F9 r& p> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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5 S" ^8 @7 T, o> 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
  G, X. q, E2 i0 B/ ^5 a> 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.'
>
> 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 |) C; }! u! Q> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
1 X2 K; {3 U: |$ z2 R( k* u  W> 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
> 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
8 `+ @8 ]5 n+ d/ _9 H/ }7 q' R> 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
> 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,
4 a! l& K) _* ]& Q1 x3 q+ ~> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
% i& p! z" R+ I7 }: n! j5 e5 H( u$ s  `> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
1 V. A+ ?6 z- O& y1 ?+ X8 R0 ^8 J> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
8 M0 h8 V# g' Q" Z8 N> 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.
( o5 [9 N8 C- n+ f3 p& p* p> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
  `5 k/ n0 F9 U. @2 B8 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
7 g5 A) [, c- F3 e> 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
$ \6 R) v% C3 l7 Z5 Q> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
3 z8 ?6 }' K8 c* e9 I) b5 O/ i> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
& b; f% z$ I7 g$ R& Y$ W$ l> 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
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> 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
* B! |) c$ m; j/ D+ E5 e> 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,
, o( A- U. n/ n/ k, h1 G> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
5 O# [: a0 h+ i* T& c1 z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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  ?; w& q8 Q2 Y2 A+ J$ Y7 E> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
$ x% p* U8 ^3 U3 g2 Q+ E> 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!'
>
1 Y( `1 a+ R% y> 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.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 o! o2 W! j" j+ G9 }> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
% u( T( F, K+ \/ y( R4 Z5 J3 y> into this world'.
>
6 d( }, t  r- e0 w$ u3 C> 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
5 Y5 h3 w4 A. c4 h9 h3 F0 c/ }> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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- Z7 ~. P: o$ ?7 {9 ^7 M" ~) H> 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.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
- E! n5 K" `7 m  h7 e> 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
  ]. E! r" z( G6 ^+ H0 ~$ Q> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
' W8 @! U' D% c5 O. r+ b' B> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
' V2 X" G( k" o( R1 h' R> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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  P& `# t/ r# L- T> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.