Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! |! r/ q$ M! k+ R> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
6 U' U  ?) }+ W. \8 {> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
) `$ w) C" ]( ]% Q9 U! M7 i> 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:
# W8 A& m. M4 P. T5 J( I>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
( I. |+ g" w( C# l8 I- [8 G> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
& d6 v7 y+ ^+ P0 b) w5 K> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
( u7 o9 ]" g2 R% Z# M8 \> 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
5 A( A6 D- c6 z+ v5 J> treat that child.'
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: k4 G9 w1 n9 I> Then he told the following story:
>
* O  x" _9 k- @5 R" o> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 _: ]: s  u5 X- l& u> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
. y$ F' s1 [% O( ^, K$ C& e> 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
+ |7 g- y* |% V) s4 ]> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
( I! ~+ j) x/ H& v1 s> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
* D% t, P# S- `! J> 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
# x* J0 M) r4 T6 G> inning.'
>
1 s  ?4 q. T$ ]) U. b- Y2 v> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
0 X3 e# e& {" L. V. Q7 R> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
7 c3 e" o8 i: P+ q" F2 E> 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
; @, C; Y1 a! a/ Z6 ]& d> 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
+ T7 x. I; o6 ]$ J& f5 Q, o: e> 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
# z+ s  d9 D" k) y. a# ]' ?% h> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
4 U& h9 Q' y# a> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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  w4 @( i) ]- k7 G5 v$ t7 H> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; Q1 ^7 P; c& P0 n2 a  O2 z' w3 \> 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
$ i9 P  \; I* J2 p% b> 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
$ n2 s! k3 D9 N# x9 P" _> 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
* M" y9 G; [+ P( u> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
' ^2 |$ z: Z4 S, ]" Q> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
6 {& G/ a1 m% {/ x* c# y> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
0 k5 d* }1 P/ h# }# S  i  P8 B/ R> 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
' d0 j" |3 Q& }7 X- l> 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
> 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
% e& @: ^! w0 v8 O> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
1 N5 D  [- X$ r8 [> 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!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
: C( I# z" a& S/ U> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> 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,
7 s# O4 }7 Z1 q9 ]  ^+ H& Z3 b> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
1 c+ B/ M9 ]. V, y# y+ q3 ~& w> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: ?: |' D- v8 r# e& |( 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!
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> 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
$ n7 m" L) D/ O6 p/ z: @3 l> 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.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' M: w! @" t  z4 V2 T' \> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
2 L# }% T9 `4 U> '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
- N9 Q, R! S- |9 ~- h- h> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
5 W  g- Y% f. o5 o. g$ o> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
) t4 U2 ?, {0 H) k> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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! z$ P0 \# v3 I6 M  H% E1 u> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.