Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
  ]( b7 p7 }9 s8 e> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 Z* Z8 E6 Y; A> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
9 p# f/ s5 O3 }7 n8 N2 Q> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 k' ^1 g; K3 ]8 d> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
5 c. c6 D7 x4 S$ G- v# E> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; S3 L. r" [3 ^; o1 I9 c$ E> 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
, `: x+ o4 l7 f- w& r, o8 o) ^2 W9 k> natural order of things in my son?'
8 M6 i: a) b" m>
7 {4 p# x* w, @+ ^4 [6 g> The audience was stilled by the query.
0 T4 j/ d* h# F5 j" K>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
+ c) ?( u6 S2 p# W4 b> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
1 ]* P" @2 g1 O# N& X" y, F> Then he told the following story:
4 e* ^6 \( o* X6 B4 `>
> 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
" e9 K  O5 `. x6 J> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
2 g( V( Z2 D( {" e! i6 t0 N> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
* n( s0 p: P* I6 ]7 d  \; J+ b1 z, }> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
2 m( G7 D# O/ I) G8 {8 c. F$ g, W; ?> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
: U5 n9 |! v5 U' a> inning.'
4 @; P1 g$ q! W8 O>
8 R0 r9 g8 j- \! q6 u, |" O  k) |$ o> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
0 m7 ]& G! r0 f1 |* M6 K' O2 v" r: n> 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
) i% [4 y3 p2 P1 n8 [" T5 N' R  `" g> 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
2 j! h5 h- z4 \% m# M> 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
% L5 b2 [$ j5 w, f9 X( K+ a) I> next at bat.
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+ X7 v* ^. G! }% T6 T8 D, \/ j> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 l, x; G+ n$ z" Y  ?> 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,
' a# H' j( F, B: f* `> 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
> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
- T- g$ O, `& i9 i> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 L4 X2 ^5 @: }8 a> 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
& S7 v8 ]- \; l, Y9 ?> 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
  x7 W5 u5 v4 Z. Z9 N> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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# t  h. _% p" c: V# C" K) d> 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 e3 h. C" M3 A: D9 K' g> 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 ?( n7 E( v. v> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
# [% x3 l! D. ~* g, Q> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
3 x  N" s( J7 x8 q3 ?> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
( [) O  Z7 e) I, o> circled the bases toward home.
>
7 R, M* Z! O2 g2 u/ p> 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
' Q! `& C# R8 l5 j/ D& m> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
# K4 ]3 l& x+ }! ?- M3 F4 c" {* m0 s, x+ e> 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
- ^2 l( Q4 l. y7 P- P. f3 M) L> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
. j6 s0 Y7 y. `# f> game for his team.
>
& S9 X2 A7 B9 [" l+ U& `+ `$ p> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 R+ u+ ^" }) }8 c* u& y> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
' n- Q+ F  b: D. u; G( Z* F  d/ U> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
" a8 N8 o" B  E( I1 Q* U> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
# ?5 K+ R( K/ y/ a( @> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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" C, r" y9 x6 M  U# j; C> 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
9 b4 X+ [& v# {0 S> 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.
>
  x0 b2 c& z5 S/ 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
> 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
5 H" h$ M  r! V+ U" U> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
% ^; L7 T# b5 v, E& |> 1. Delete
" Z. P4 o! G, d) T: f> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.