Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
  M# O1 X- ]" w0 P" _; g- A  O5 h0 p> same choice?
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7 ]8 e% Q' o3 M$ p" u> 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
- C5 ?/ Y; {4 C/ L. F- y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
) \4 y6 V9 b8 K/ V, I7 B6 P2 u>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
( h! M6 h% C, `- l' s> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
: c3 d$ i; N- R/ r, Q5 K> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
1 ]/ _% O* r& S>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% h1 m3 D4 G" |> 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.'
3 S! r& c- I' g- n# |* L4 R* r>
> Then he told the following story:
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: R( w: Z6 L+ W% y  R, w# e+ a> 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
3 _& @" ?) _/ s7 r> 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,
, v- q" _/ x/ p  V$ ?> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
> 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
9 P: k1 ]' A& f8 V> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
1 c7 f: @4 Q  E) x8 K$ `> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
3 k: E. D: H- ?> 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
: \5 O% f/ ~7 ]> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
2 u6 S/ ]; _) t( y> 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
2 q" ^' I, ?. N# _$ U& y> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
7 O6 a" _4 u3 i) S> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
  ^4 ~- o+ S; W) b> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
4 j  U$ A3 r. T. ]6 ~( Q> 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
! t- @+ _$ i- D1 e+ |0 g> 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.
. w. E- F, q3 q. a! e' _> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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% \- L* J- J1 o! P, ?! H" k> 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
7 h. G! L/ A) \& A+ v1 n> 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
+ {6 ?/ C$ J( \+ O9 }' c> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
) f% i3 ]/ r1 W: q% Q9 h7 p1 p> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
4 n; G1 t* B/ M$ s7 C: G> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
8 q3 W% |- Z5 E2 L$ v4 ]" g" I> wide-eyed and startled.
>
! ~( ^( t3 l! y3 ~% J+ g> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
+ A! X% D% Y* H; y% p2 }2 l' C7 V> 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
> 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
" F, x+ I! l6 \) v* q, I> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
# {( h) b0 k. }8 M> 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
& y  P2 h- H, l8 m$ g7 v> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
4 I  J5 r! s, C) r" L> 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
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
. j: C& a# S1 F5 Z* w. E( h> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 T) i) y! Y+ D- v> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
# I3 l8 e3 F& t2 P% T/ a>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
! p! C) I3 g2 n& s! W0 W( a7 [> 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
* {: c+ b, p! M, Q& e) R4 r> 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
+ V+ [1 X% E6 E  ^# B8 v> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
/ \8 P, R# @4 i' M4 y* y* 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
) _. W0 V- `. J9 d" t$ G> 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
6 I' l' y& b5 v: `- Y) ?7 L& V> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 d1 Q2 A! w) m1 c2 H! P> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
1 C" F9 n7 g7 u; P  l1 ?# v8 p: r5 v> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.