Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ X' H. A0 e, h2 ~> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
: @0 K" w( y( A- t- E6 A> same choice?
>
: S6 n0 G! n1 V* E> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
3 B- t/ J* M) m0 n> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
' z# l  m2 T( w; C/ p9 Y, x> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
" ~% ~1 q" q- F. G; g> staff, he offered a question:
>
% [1 T) `# [# f0 _1 c" I> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
, u9 L/ ~: ?' R( ?> 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.
>
' C3 u' @! i& u8 n5 h> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* b; {. w* g: m9 c& B6 x# w> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 I$ s9 g1 i& B! L> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
! O0 Y. j8 _/ c9 i% T- g: C1 y> Then he told the following story:
4 z& O' j/ {4 g& D' C8 ~# [>
) `* B& I6 q, s! `- H% p4 @> 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
+ ?/ n* }) p; _$ r3 v. G( ^' V> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
5 B8 {. L4 m: q& |/ W> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
1 a. r+ b% o6 e4 S& r7 P> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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7 H) X- Q8 a% \% `* ^( |. J8 B( ~  i> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
) l, S, g' w2 ?1 d  V; g> 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
' Q& E- j. V) N3 b$ e0 V> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
  d$ [8 j# c! h! R0 i* k3 H> inning.'
, A/ M) r  H3 @8 b9 T2 X- ?>
3 {* V% K! i% 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
. m9 h8 d/ G* P( v" C- B7 d4 F> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
9 w0 A) A# M0 ?4 g) g> 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
8 h) {1 i5 V0 L9 L9 H> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
/ l+ K/ n4 Z" }" u> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 V2 q. T  L! V, X# K0 U" Y$ W8 K> 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.
> 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
0 {+ D4 s$ O! O) X7 S, [8 u2 Y> 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.
' P+ l" E% b2 s' j0 t: c> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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4 b7 Z  R' \1 I( n. L3 ~. i3 E  N1 G8 S> 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.
>
> 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,
1 I* R9 W2 S- `4 G% T: E% v! Q> wide-eyed and startled.
9 u" P6 W* T( D" C+ {9 w* i>
> 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
5 r3 m4 P% e  ?  ~& h! y0 {> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
7 M  B$ K* C7 r5 L' l> 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
8 C" n6 C; d* g  z5 F  Q. a> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
) v7 [* I9 n& l& A> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
% ?9 y: A, c& c9 M5 I> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
6 C4 I7 g9 z( g$ r3 ^$ G' l> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
. F) R8 l, V5 O5 W* @, l> 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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( x! Z4 w  ^/ x( ]- ~> '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'.
7 R/ Y# B& \. C1 z9 Z2 d; M>
# a$ \$ R4 f' Z$ k; [0 V( q> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
- }2 E, V/ a" r6 r2 ?% l3 Y) h' g> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
# o  i; r+ {+ _6 S> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
; u' {" W( s" ]' s7 Q* h> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% E/ O% M6 ?& m0 @> 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
8 o9 l% r. W  ?> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
6 F# p- u8 K7 H$ g% G) x- P! C) ~> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ b) g+ _4 ]3 F! ]7 q% n: y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
9 B* s1 p1 l( o' o4 O" i) {) m* b>
% m* ~7 @0 r) M8 e% _4 W# s> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
: I1 x! I" K0 k  B+ f9 m: Y* s/ [1 a>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.