Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
: {. @# Q" Y$ z; [+ O/ A; @>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, F9 X6 k- g8 b> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
7 ^8 h5 @' E2 E> same choice?
, |, h8 c9 ^& z  }8 e& t+ V" z7 ?6 `>
" g- K) @; h* y> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
' F; ^( q1 \7 Y( ~; f/ q> 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
5 T5 j6 z  F6 `% Y6 K5 k+ S> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 @$ ^+ i9 `: \0 w5 S> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
( }7 f, P. L. F" T5 K  C+ C$ I5 J# ~> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
+ m7 ^$ C5 M/ |' i/ K3 J>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
2 I- U( H% e8 T/ U2 W: n+ Z>
( i: \1 S" a, k( S> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
3 z) j) _7 O# G  M0 ]$ o( ]> 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.'
+ K# [9 s0 O1 E  @  o' h+ i/ c>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
7 u- U5 S* r! n) ?. h, s  N> 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
6 e1 @; C7 z0 y  B1 {3 t> 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
- b# r2 U* V4 D; l% o: k. J, s( T> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
* R3 {$ P  u9 F>
) k0 L0 D6 t  \. W) _1 d7 V> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 W  u5 ?* v! F/ o. D- c( Z. l8 s> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 v/ F2 l+ Q4 D9 O8 z> 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
6 b- i% Y7 \# ?  U8 E$ G* q2 K> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
, t% K' S) u6 }> 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
0 @8 e4 `, @& U0 e1 f> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> 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.
5 J* v' G; e4 q" B; N9 L5 E7 @% |>
> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
& f  y7 c8 H7 R* e' {4 h> 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
* a6 |% J' V8 G/ K( u2 c) q> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
0 U, z/ @; X# _- ~8 q5 Q> 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.
; N: f& X; H4 F* A# M* J> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
/ s6 U6 G4 m+ u, H2 O. y>
> 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.
>
; S- J5 A- K3 f' u> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
7 ~% P- H& }  b& S' N- \>
+ C7 m: P6 r+ a. T1 ~; S% s6 C> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
( w4 ~9 ~9 X  j5 O> 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
8 ]9 I5 l/ D  w0 n1 U> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
, F- ~) u' W8 l0 V- @/ _> 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,
* K. b$ h2 R% m8 m( c% f> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
9 G7 ]1 b6 A( k0 [8 @% A9 q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
3 x/ \) U# \1 D8 y> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
2 l' O1 A: P, K  ~- L6 J$ Z6 w: C>
8 \# n: X, Q. @+ u: t/ H( Q> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: \3 Q1 y- g3 G> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
( @1 K2 i: o: F, L& ]> Shay, run to third!'
  w1 F, m8 _+ N8 c' E9 K>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 N7 y/ N; e/ N1 U( N> 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
) o. u, b5 v1 v/ D6 X( _> game for his team.
7 C/ P& x4 z( L/ [# _( B5 s>
# u7 R6 f) ~9 }) p6 {- a2 ^> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
+ Q: g* D9 w8 R0 N7 p% V> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
9 h  m8 z1 A/ Q2 g2 d: N5 K! d>
> 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
3 J; `) U" \& l+ \# [  o4 ]> 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
> 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.
% ^0 B, }& U( j# {2 U% E2 m>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
4 g% c; h7 g) n9 d" h> 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
4 K/ v8 c! W* ]) d. S* p0 p1 f( f> 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
+ S0 M; G" T( q4 k# d> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
. A' c4 T0 \: C; l. v- U. e> bit colder in the process?
9 w3 h& @+ J, i5 T>
; r0 P+ p' N/ y7 W; m8 Q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 M" O: [) i7 t* K4 K' z* r> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
# U- b2 l) S- D" q9 p& I/ g>
1 I2 ~, F* Y6 r  Y. ?& \6 }1 V  J> You now have two choices:
& S0 `5 C6 d, _  @3 h8 ?> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
% ]: Q4 ^8 M0 }/ n" z>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.