Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
: D! k+ C, I6 s8 U9 E# H1 U> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: x! E" D& ?1 Q% D2 A+ E3 ?2 b; m> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
5 |3 Z$ ^, c" ]- z0 I( a> same choice?
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: H  T2 u. Q" m0 K2 ~> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ H1 M& f; j' a0 X* H> 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
0 t7 z9 I  ~' G7 K> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
+ G) e! M5 K% g/ w; B+ r/ Y8 V> 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
5 M" d9 q& |$ e1 j7 V8 B> natural order of things in my son?'
, o; r' F! K. B/ h0 i>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
) b5 ^- M5 u$ A4 t> 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.'
>
7 d# @" x: m( s/ B( G> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# d) [9 M1 H( X1 Y> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
$ Z) U1 r4 n; Z1 x, o& ~: B0 [> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
) I" O' S& T) W) ?> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
4 I2 C# J/ d- `. O3 e4 p> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
& Z1 \1 k1 r7 n> 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
1 \8 f# n5 h7 d( b) p5 M> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
3 G" Q6 [5 U& P3 Y  Z6 G> inning.'
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# Y; F0 j- _( d1 h# z. g) E+ @> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# J  x4 w) Z9 S. \- [: R/ z# T' 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
! e5 W/ i7 P2 l# u  y, s/ [0 S/ K> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
8 ~8 \1 |' J% Z0 y> 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
( ~5 x" M, S! n7 V> 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
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
) m5 M# K; E1 f: R> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
& B+ n+ P3 O) S> 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
> 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
& L4 s3 x$ a  c+ @4 K  I- \& u) F> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
1 ~8 m1 k% v$ Y4 y1 F) Y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
0 M6 @5 f( u) \/ j. P- v$ L+ a$ J> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
* P% n* A/ j, k5 \% O> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
) h/ `/ w5 h) \+ n( T$ w% L> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
2 D+ M, C% e$ R> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
, m1 j) o# a7 w0 s! h$ N# f> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
( _1 m8 S7 X. Z5 l. C8 I- o5 ?> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
4 c5 p, P+ N& }; P1 f# F  Z> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
/ \, ~, S5 _6 W> 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
/ T( ^" x: c: F3 J% |/ w> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
5 f$ x/ }1 J% K( E& f7 p, [9 y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
$ C1 e& J( k8 m  C> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
. c1 y; @3 h3 X+ K3 E; C4 t9 Z> 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
> game for his team.
>
1 k5 E) g* R* Q5 F4 Q7 o6 R> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
% n# @! _* A! f$ l+ K% I2 p1 m% t, Q> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
* b' O, s1 ^) r$ O> 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!
>
% f! O2 X" \6 y& ]> 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
  M8 W$ A% b/ z) t/ I' N5 r4 o> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
. Q7 k+ P7 O$ P5 e6 z( _> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 ]: y7 ^% i+ s8 s7 n6 X" p  b> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
* o1 d. c  }. c* O% N  [3 i2 Y4 P> '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
; e0 q4 |6 D/ V' ^2 K$ @> 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
> bit colder in the process?
+ |5 m( r/ x  o% Y5 V% _>
" `0 ]# U' `' `' q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
- O3 v( ]) Y9 O> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.