Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' P& f* m/ i: H6 s( q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
- w* q. N9 t: V* G( k0 n> same choice?
>
# T& {% E0 H' D> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
1 h% y' `* k: a. s  o! |- s% C>
( @7 \; q: Z' ^  D6 @! c> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 v: V% d. J5 d/ f8 \8 d> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
9 H! n5 l/ R, @& K> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
+ o+ n6 ?; W" [; R- _3 a% I4 _/ _/ Z>
> 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
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
) h% B  M  {! X/ R>
" N  L% w/ E0 E" A$ r5 w* |4 \> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 l* d0 A$ v# l> 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.'
2 F* o+ I( V# }; T( 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
. H8 n" c" N! ?8 D! t* V) o# M7 r, B> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
6 x! W) Y) J8 J& T& c; ~; D: B> 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" {8 j5 s) P- i> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% ~0 w) o8 z6 u1 C/ x$ c, {> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
  Y6 ~$ P! P* n% e6 ?2 M> 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
> next at bat.
' ^' s6 p/ R: b$ V( Q4 k9 ]>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
9 q. \& J0 D. d1 ^> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
0 P, ]- G, |, A2 \; a> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
' D9 C3 y/ U$ W: Q; j> 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
! n3 V, i( T- [% e4 s3 e> 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
6 n. y2 j+ ]2 e) E" l4 |. [> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
  v- g& C6 v+ S2 X3 @> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
: D% u+ h3 g4 W/ D/ _' `8 n> right back to the pitcher.
# S: j9 \* ^  a1 _5 J/ r8 Q>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
% z; k# {. M8 W! ^. B# g) z+ g> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
: S2 V0 ]  ~% p" t+ h8 w> 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
" G8 z: P9 R( a6 b; H. d# L> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
+ g9 i. B9 D9 N8 n0 ^( @> 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.
>
/ B5 b3 Z" B- m2 K> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 D% @. ~' E, S> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
1 d" k: z7 w8 P5 x6 ~> 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
" m9 N, a" I( \6 {6 ~& r) E9 U& ?> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
7 y2 |# f2 B3 V6 a3 H, O; z> 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.
>
* y$ Q" E0 y+ I  r) P) D: Y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
. l9 T7 @" K& q% v4 w3 ]> Shay, run to third!'
>
2 L" E9 o& |; i* [: [' 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
1 L& q0 T  S0 }0 `! x2 @/ o: C2 r5 p> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
# l  o2 K1 n: W6 G% m# |> game for his team.
>
9 W- Q$ M5 [8 g* O9 P0 g> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ j# H' M9 C) j5 o5 m0 q> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
: s1 X4 ?; @, q) r5 t5 |>
& b2 E. T) p, e9 [8 h; B> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
8 W# m/ z2 b- P+ E7 h. D> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
" s* p8 o3 }9 W7 n+ z4 |> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
8 H9 a1 x- D$ Q9 K4 S> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
( \! S9 p0 B! ~; R$ @- A* d: B>
> 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
> bit colder in the process?
0 C) p4 u6 [; r>
( ?) S5 v" x. F8 c> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 u/ K) n# g+ ?> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
" ~6 J$ O- n1 f( _> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
9 Q+ C6 A. }! A1 J3 c  y+ M>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.