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
0 U4 ^# X! \7 a6 v& A' I: l" S> same choice?
' J) r0 ^+ e4 k3 L$ y  {5 i) A>
> 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
( P; }7 O+ K: {) g+ W6 K! a2 m+ i> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
! ~% U% P6 E8 F- d; T* }( F4 S> staff, he offered a question:
>
2 @0 M2 z$ L. H9 I> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
( a" J3 e, x% ~6 O2 o3 t> natural order of things in my son?'
>
/ p9 w$ X1 @1 R> The audience was stilled by the query.
7 ?$ T/ i$ Z1 a9 v. J& }( G>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 M# @: o0 F, K> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
3 r0 B5 w* G7 W/ p: ^+ {: Q> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
) A# G  K, ]6 t( e' Z1 L>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
- \3 g/ ~( e. D. j9 f" I9 A> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
( A' R" T; [+ U% [> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
% |, s2 T( g; h8 G8 v8 w. K: x>
5 [# J& O1 T6 z$ H! y: A> 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
5 I; R; o0 A6 f- C- `! f, K> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
( r% q0 \# u2 z" ^> inning.'
* J. P# B% Q5 Z- s4 v% \$ j>
> 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
! V7 Z3 Q0 Q8 T- x& e3 f# G) T> 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
+ u1 p& Y$ ~0 e  }1 }  g- S( m+ Y> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
  ~+ i7 u: \6 |( ]9 K> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
' D( @; @+ P& f$ w4 R4 @> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
7 U# y+ B9 t+ G# f> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
- P9 _& m4 `- w, w8 z> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
, ?  ^, j2 B' a* d( [+ i8 u> 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
> 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
( ^" N% t8 Q3 e. T$ D> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
% ~" y6 d( ~# |: @! R& Q> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
/ L$ |$ E  L4 k& x> 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.
: R- ^% f% i& q9 e* N# E5 h) ~> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
2 ]0 [+ R( K$ d& [* n4 A; x> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
1 b, t4 {: H) t0 I5 G. i# a> 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.
>
# \. p; S& w) ~> 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.
>
. {: W: A2 R5 {/ N+ z3 v> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) f# b$ M& v, H. v$ {( z) }> 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
8 k0 |8 x# G% E. w1 Y7 {* k> 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
. c- T* t  x) D4 ]# ?3 W2 g> 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'
4 h$ g4 z; [3 ~0 ^>
! c- Z, o) t+ B* z% X% T* z( _; g> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
8 v  ^3 \  E( k" t" N> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
; a+ A/ S+ q$ s" n# ^>
$ z( }* V& o4 f/ m  T- X> 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
) l: O, m  A8 B/ I& X> game for his team.
! g4 [0 X/ ?. a/ Z>
( _: A  l; l9 i: \> '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
> into this world'.
# G4 [" }( R+ J% j6 W! g>
' t( T' m$ u; i> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 j" Q, k  {1 a# e$ H& Y/ E> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
/ o& s: r; O# h> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- b' m" U( d7 T> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
: b8 X4 B* L1 s>
4 ^3 J; o/ [- o" @> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
" d' ]4 U* _3 B' h; W9 U& u( @, A> 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
( b2 q4 ^& G" Y, J2 r, m2 K> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
; D8 G, u7 q( ~$ I3 ]/ D/ s+ x+ s> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
6 i; C* _6 r& v> bit colder in the process?
>
" x$ |' n3 n2 E) B% |> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 N8 w% P$ R( H. m6 \2 V> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
' j4 D0 A  \" a; N' N>
> You now have two choices:
/ l% x4 D& D  r> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
/ E0 {  I- f4 M/ \>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.