Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
/ y8 X+ b: h+ q7 E> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 g/ D2 ^: W+ o, \; n. {> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
4 b8 m9 W5 p, W! ]1 f> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
: y* z# l0 }; |2 C> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
1 J+ b4 R* Z9 n! E> staff, he offered a question:
>
2 S, ~- }3 _# h3 {5 b> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# \& x4 _9 }. z# d( |> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> 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.
/ S6 U' c" g  z4 }; B" `>
> 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
8 n" e7 M3 G" M& K5 f- s& Q6 Q# v> treat that child.'
8 e" a. ~( H) [" U>
> Then he told the following story:
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( B) T2 Q- W; Y* x  f( \> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
9 h, @% e; [" e/ l> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
' s3 s. `/ V, ?9 J  \- K2 @0 u1 T& W> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
* W% d* K  E1 y- g2 b' t/ J> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
. O1 \: y9 X$ d# ~; C5 I) K+ J> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
9 z2 [9 O5 M  U* l3 e( D  S> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
/ J6 ~; @" R9 d, \' I) s5 }> 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
- x3 ?. ~& p$ F: a/ g8 e. Q> inning.'
>
7 p3 r' I" ^9 a( B2 R1 t> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
( O& r# G+ M4 b> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
# v, j6 t6 V* Y> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
. A1 W3 W/ q1 S8 ~7 u" M> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
  X# A$ G$ s3 I2 W* w6 n4 W% y> next at bat.
4 _% {; d/ }2 l7 E>
7 e# Z! C- Y  E9 d> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
% ^2 \" N9 ?' z  A> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
- K: ~  j, z  W: O0 P! m> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
3 w3 S/ e/ i/ b% j5 w1 M* ~0 K> 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.
; m3 {4 ?- m% [! x$ ]> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
( n3 p9 E: N' Y> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
1 l" e5 Q" _9 _7 _  M- L8 b> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
  j+ U* I2 \2 d. H2 S' S> 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.
>
> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 [- H# k- N! J% {6 {> 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
' k/ i% T9 [  ~& t> circled the bases toward home.
>
' x3 j; H/ {2 N  o1 U> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
! j: I" N; i' ]( j> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
* W( L, k6 b% E, X4 K* M& U! N) A2 [> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
& {* j: S- V& o  I> 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,
3 d7 q" g# V6 ]  C+ w> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
' r' X/ y4 p% W  k/ d0 t> 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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2 Z! R8 p$ v5 z  @# Z% _> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
% s; H1 x  R) k9 F" ]; C> 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
/ j- r7 i) X; t. F> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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; k! s2 J% q' r% L4 C> 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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
( @6 b# K& g/ f% t4 i> 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
  P" O( d8 w; X7 u3 A( H> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% ~5 B9 F" P6 U0 [- g& I1 D> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
$ a" I  M( K4 I> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
3 v8 l' m- d* H> May your day, be a Shay Day.