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
' X' V9 w4 d0 {2 @> same choice?
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; ^* G0 H8 [; d2 K# c* V0 v> 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
$ U* R5 a# |  Y1 r6 i> staff, he offered a question:
>
+ E1 w& _8 {- G/ s1 W) m8 h" v> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
) w( ~9 V; l+ e9 y# ?> 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
- x7 L3 ~6 k: v' R( n. w" X. \> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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! i# J' C; R+ c5 p> Then he told the following story:
>
6 u1 G- z6 @: ^2 D2 {6 D, I/ Q> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ L: O* t/ ]* G( q. C> 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
> 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.'
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/ D, n. `6 [5 l- v> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. n' \  w6 g3 w> 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
* O! J4 L) p# `) w7 g/ ^# @: h> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 n) o* |# U" k0 D/ U8 q- [> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
3 @7 ]) u4 T. c/ ~+ G3 r8 b> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
+ c& V7 F/ T8 T* I9 e* \> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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. ~) F, t$ ^. d8 e0 t7 h> 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
' Y9 w( C& e  Q( \6 c  m> 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
. s, o+ A: \/ a$ {9 P! q6 J$ k' L> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
$ ?1 N4 R& G7 P# Y* S9 C# C2 \> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
, s, \! i3 u+ I> 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
% R3 Q' b6 i0 _  T1 Z+ y% r# f" e, k, D1 \> 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
> 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,
) x' u  M5 Z1 O7 w8 |> wide-eyed and startled.
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$ S5 G- `; L3 z; _, X> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
3 M; H( S, I, \' A6 a$ B> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
0 L% H* V/ `& Z% I$ o> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
' z2 {/ R& a( i& T5 ^$ U$ d> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
3 f- D# W$ ]7 X, c# g7 `> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
9 z9 M3 j) N  }> 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.
>
> 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
> 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
/ ?4 p3 X( B" D% P> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
8 F1 z1 I: ~- D- a0 D+ i> game for his team.
>
; ?- P& _( g7 \6 |> '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'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
9 V, w9 |3 z! n5 z+ D  C> 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
9 \' p6 h% S9 x/ w2 R) L5 E9 _> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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$ w- {' {) y1 T> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
  Y6 ~4 Y' Q0 _1 V+ F) k> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
4 N2 Z7 ^2 }9 \7 q; R$ L; g5 l- f> '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
, j$ u$ _) i; u> 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
7 O7 K) O9 R0 y" S. Z* y8 v" i> bit colder in the process?
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! n( F( z' t( ^/ c& h> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- B* K2 Y. g, S> 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.