Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
4 [* B) {3 D  y8 |3 }> 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
5 f9 `9 u4 K- F, P0 V> same choice?
8 W4 b+ l  v2 A, b5 Q+ j% O>
/ O' n  \1 D( m> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
% D. P3 d* h2 S* X: {; n> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
  u2 `; A1 r  x; g! p4 {% n* Y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
# Z8 t( y8 x- ]9 S# T* }>
/ U" g" N$ k- i0 q> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 C' j, J$ g9 i/ l1 h! J, ?. e4 M> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 J$ o9 U; u" c8 u# l> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
2 x3 W# R6 f1 F. V: p# P2 l> natural order of things in my son?'
0 z) n( v; B! R% T) j2 D0 B) J0 V; b>
* J  R+ t( u: a" K+ B5 f> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
1 n) Q* W1 W# t4 y. J  V> 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
> treat that child.'
>
+ \& E4 D' T! a# x3 Y. o> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
9 t5 L. x2 u* E0 y> 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,
' B* S8 h) T7 Q! ^/ Z> 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
# a/ i2 O. `7 ?; T( O$ y( A> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
6 m. N% ~* h$ `$ u$ @> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
) y4 W$ M# u" V$ z0 y2 u> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
- Z2 s/ W3 F1 T2 U; X' P> inning.'
>
+ P5 l; A( c) ]6 ]7 |  P> 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
" W& A* a, `2 x* k# ~* c, y: M0 ?> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
& t3 y+ l, S* R> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
, o) e4 D" x7 F* T( h' l/ L$ S> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
7 E8 R3 Z+ g9 S& \$ j> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
- }& b$ }" K% ^; Y% f" m# k> 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
5 i- e1 A- J. V  \5 P% t> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
# T# t4 d& Y- m% y5 }. |> 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
> 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
- r* [0 S! F4 D9 F5 T> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
  I/ O4 y6 w& J3 r$ X% u> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
1 o  g# Q7 B. t! Z2 G> 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
1 H5 J+ t6 P" b$ d7 x1 n> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
% i, e' K5 M# x> 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
* |7 O7 k7 m  ~+ u* p& d# }> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
* P. @" c* t7 A% z> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 D$ Y. o5 K7 X4 G1 y> 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
> 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
; `+ i- z0 x. u: r& h; W. T> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
5 v1 ?- ], s  n" A> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
1 Q. D$ z9 p: |+ ^: q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ ]7 ^- m  {/ U( o> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
- P3 @# }$ G- Z; x& x) n, Z> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
: `2 q  p* u# b+ ~& p5 r7 @" T> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
- y: v1 K$ K8 D2 T" }6 r7 R' w" [> 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
% [3 u3 I, Y8 y7 @) w; l. N+ J> 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
1 P$ V6 S4 r. J1 k  G> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
$ r* C4 M! t. v3 s> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
, i) s- P7 B$ H# E& d  }" g, v>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, |- v, z* T- S- x> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
$ O8 C1 N. o/ k2 z* r4 M> '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
+ E3 _1 @0 X% g> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
9 T8 e3 \& c) _> bit colder in the process?
>
5 ]  H- k8 H/ }4 i' A: z3 K> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# I# ^: z- K5 o- J. `> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
3 s( ?. K) w- q1 z  x>
> You now have two choices:
' j) ?! A; j) S  o  R. s> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.