Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
6 Y1 X9 B4 A) x( k/ M  k> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
" V0 }& U! m% p. m1 J) ~' v> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
" n( i9 ^/ `! b. o> 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
% T. H7 K) a$ [- |' m2 T$ y! D> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
/ F7 u5 v) B( m" K" X9 `> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
, T5 }8 P! m$ T2 s1 n3 _> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
7 \1 O( i, y! h5 ?  F# \> The audience was stilled by the query.
0 [' O( y4 ^5 d7 q" K  e) T" T$ }>
6 U, T% d2 j; {- Z4 S9 I% G8 c> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ q! G* K- Q( ?+ T> 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.'
6 R# L! t3 S$ g: ?+ p& [& f>
> Then he told the following story:
>
- C% j" E5 w) t% V> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 U1 a  T  \) X, `# a; b/ C* E6 E: A> 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
+ c% {$ I6 y* _3 X& M> 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.
: m6 g- y6 ]: F  _+ \. Q>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 s3 T5 [& r/ L: V+ @> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
5 W4 E7 R4 \) }* ~' ?> 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.'
# T9 [4 W# {0 R: D  L2 t8 s, v>
> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
/ q. c- S+ q. N8 z& ^- D9 p0 \" D7 H> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
% N) G  f& ]2 G/ y> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
2 F- `4 Q% K5 L( l% z4 E$ w+ u> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
! b% h% W1 l8 {- o9 T1 F' j, k> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
$ M# B/ _9 G" E& r* s# X> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
1 S8 K4 \( s  h! k: H9 U3 v  C> next at bat.
>
> 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
* l+ o" I( K3 @4 b+ z9 x9 b0 e> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 g9 x# g2 @$ g3 ^( A> 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
+ O/ g& l) j' @' ?, s" u2 y3 L> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
$ I) q) I, b- U> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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.
1 Q* N* W$ C8 }9 P8 ?>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
# m2 i5 [0 ]; i: E7 q& n( }& T( D> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
1 E3 l; s4 G" b# [9 h> 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,
( b: ]( v9 ?8 ^> wide-eyed and startled.
>
, ?! [- B% d+ K1 m9 s3 V0 b+ v- b> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
# T" p7 _* Q7 F5 Z6 S> 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
) n+ X* K6 P# s! N/ }> 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
$ X4 @3 w& o! }8 r> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
4 Q# w. ^- P% t$ J: T9 P& h> 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.
>
7 d3 L* D. H' o0 p4 P. a> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
; p* }& p! D; U: O8 [; e> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
' I. {  }% }/ b. o. h. O# G>
> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
4 q6 p5 I- [: `+ K2 F> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
( }! z5 D# q! P9 a& Y; G$ {> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> 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!
>
' m+ x# M& _$ E9 e& t: }6 x3 Q  Q> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
( I  k) _( X( }# R, T0 @* _1 P> 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
8 H* H" e% p% c  g> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
$ k$ s  p0 L* J+ \1 q+ F% D> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
7 W1 ~) H4 s( b$ F# s+ E> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; C1 T4 Z7 c" d6 H> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
4 Z6 l) V9 h" d; n4 c> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
8 f+ B# _+ B4 J# |> 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
5 W" ~, s9 L- C5 I> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
9 ~9 h& `: O4 ~& Z! V/ L* K) x: O>
' D( t* c. f. p7 }( @> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
9 j3 V/ V8 d0 W/ w, E5 }>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
2 e2 d1 Y( _$ E6 y; u9 s7 r! H9 L>
1 w2 }5 G( P9 U> May your day, be a Shay Day.