Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
* j6 Q+ a8 F/ c9 m3 l> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
0 H; G5 i/ i$ ?! p" S  B> same choice?
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1 X  o" B( w/ [* [2 m( N; E> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
8 o/ W6 z; e7 I* q- g  L> 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:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
" l- \# p* m9 B9 Y% X> natural order of things in my son?'
>
8 p$ A5 k% W" C+ H! x2 s> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
- y, B! |0 q$ H+ Q) j$ u> 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
" T) X) y9 y) a) h* Z  ?> treat that child.'
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  }- U, j. c0 d7 D, h$ s> Then he told the following story:
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- c% n' f9 g2 F, `  s$ Y> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
( K, z, g- U' {* v; j7 ^+ ^5 ]: v. B> 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
9 f7 `7 C- _8 ]> 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
( L' w# |% Q4 N6 ]& J> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
2 m3 R3 b2 Z6 A5 x> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 @- v7 |6 G# F" ~> 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
8 Q0 g* r, @) s- Y; X+ K, v> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
7 I0 k4 t/ X2 h& L2 M3 M' a1 t  Q>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' z: c$ `' K6 a% C) I> 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
' d* b: z. F! @$ j> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
# f: f; u* W# m$ f4 E* H% z> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
" g; {9 M! E5 T) w$ K+ L. Q> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
/ l$ L- g3 ?! S( ]( K. r- ~+ g> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 g3 W$ [1 n5 v! K! b' E> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
. x( j* _, I% m& K> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
) C; o: S2 }" p" L: l) c> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
8 b2 R. I! A3 u1 X, R> next at bat.
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: _. U+ P& h2 c: N/ m0 F2 Q# I  \: }> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) j- u0 }( E/ }4 |> 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,
. ~$ h4 m. A- g> much less connect with the ball.
! ~6 d6 t, H* V% U$ [( a$ T6 r> 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
" N: g* e8 n8 X2 M! ~> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
, k: p8 w( h5 l/ U6 ^2 n1 s8 t/ c% }> 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.
>
0 J; u6 p$ b* ?0 Y% n> 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
& a& Z% g" S" l. R3 `/ s2 f, _& c> out and that would have been the end of the game.
  K1 D5 L2 h3 h: V1 [>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
  {% N. X6 L$ Y3 Z3 X  L> 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
5 u3 ~: X  [. [' v7 ~, J> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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' H' ^( F$ j3 P4 _; L> 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
; y( E" L, e' ^8 {1 u- h! _> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
- h+ b7 v% F$ w( ^> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
0 k: P9 |4 W) ^# E) U/ K& E9 E> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
0 ~+ U! t( e1 z- [2 q> 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
' p4 P3 s) s# o! m% w( q! n> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
; q+ H& F" W3 P> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
1 S" H% Z7 o% y5 t> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
8 [% s" E( m9 y) G& B> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
) u" `: @0 m( ^, j: f5 _/ D> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
, p; w( K& h6 e) d> 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,
& R6 G- u' g2 U2 E' c> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> 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!
>
6 U' M6 H. o6 Q4 U" s3 m. d% e> 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
% E4 T! o5 Q' b& W1 {1 J> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
; N: Q6 ]8 `6 W' K9 c5 S> 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
. A. E$ z$ V2 Y> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
. h8 V- p4 @8 l( z> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' m  Z" f) D; J6 F> 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
& m/ p8 {, p4 l" l/ @& Y> 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
% d/ j/ J8 q* L* L; C3 L! ]> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
% _- Y1 f: b# e7 u/ B7 J" ^/ W% C9 B>
( H, B% u! \2 R/ K3 b6 s; n+ R' T> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
/ Q) D* s+ a( I  K1 L> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
" r. t) `% ^8 e: W# D; o# a. J5 ]> May your day, be a Shay Day.