Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
4 e: @, b, S# a9 u6 K% b) A+ [0 S  E> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ f" y1 z& s" F" c" s+ ]. [+ Z! d> 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:
>
% q( W5 U3 M5 l9 n7 f) L8 F- x> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) x2 _0 I) W1 q: \) Y! p; s3 L3 G> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
# R7 z, N* r* p0 x( T8 ]5 w# B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
- t$ O. }* b% u5 H' G1 ~. x7 ]> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# F. P' w! n3 `  f$ c+ W* e( I> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
' M" @3 Y1 x% P. K# P> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
3 |6 p8 V- ]6 j7 [$ h+ e; b$ E> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
) o# M, Y3 A. e; A) s( \) @! o> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
- Q: l. l3 I: E; t/ X> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
. m  L5 C$ n. }$ J4 Z> 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
4 B% e/ T/ v8 ~' Y9 j$ W> 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.'
>
7 S: G! Z9 v' [1 b5 f% H2 \$ d> 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
: e4 ]4 I$ K4 c> 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
: G/ N9 W9 o" l# _> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
' o, S3 r$ R5 }. b+ B" h> 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.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
( _1 F) z+ H/ A) C- _' h. K, t7 {6 c* A/ t> 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.
> 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
6 v9 w' B4 a6 P$ G: 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.
) L% [; X' s* \  f3 D> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
2 {( b+ ^; K2 v9 K> 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.
>
3 u7 m1 A3 [- @( t. d* S> 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
0 r) y6 ?8 s: ?! k0 h> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
/ w, l; R* L' Y' L> wide-eyed and startled.
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- B9 X1 e, F" D9 _7 I> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 k+ J( q' D6 I9 C0 {3 F> 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
# R. `, r7 I, S- b, O> 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
- z  D0 X- X* M. b> 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
" D& j' }& [# j% I> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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+ Z7 z6 A! p% x: s) q( T8 H! R> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
6 j* m& K" ~5 m0 Z% N> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
9 h) B2 G5 j- X( C: |> Shay, run to third!'
>
. Y7 ^) _- c$ z2 ?> 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
  ~1 n7 g) z! v/ P$ ]> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" J! l1 R# W! u- B2 X# t% p+ C> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
0 m5 K, J, n! ~. P7 ~1 Q+ R3 Q> into this world'.
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  @2 f/ u1 U: |9 ~) Y> 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!
>
% ~, g) V, S; Y6 Z; L> 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.
>
> 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
- _, d7 }& _9 H1 _$ C> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
! n0 r0 i. D% \' R3 }+ b! `> 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
> 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
: y7 [5 Q8 b! @6 \; r8 x3 E3 i1 ?> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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- ~! }( T1 K5 ^5 b+ S> May your day, be a Shay Day.