Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
0 C  l3 ~: E6 s> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. _2 b# W7 S. v7 p/ Y+ {> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
1 t+ K) |, O* K2 \& \>
> 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
0 w, v. l, S3 P9 K> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
" n/ M8 u0 J6 S# H> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
: o- Q+ |9 D" ]# p/ Y> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
, P6 M: c$ n: a- I3 \: S> 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.
0 |2 ]" A- L& f" H4 i+ p>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ x. `9 z# U2 h1 A> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 q4 j/ n: h4 w8 Y/ ?$ t> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
* v& u/ @( j* j1 l: W8 @> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: {- p0 F* m1 w7 m1 }$ h> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
" z0 p, W5 q$ f, o- m, E> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
; r* D& T, g4 s  ]0 z$ N>
# o" I3 _% V* [  I> 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
' Q3 n5 t6 l8 j9 O. Q, T> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
: g2 J& e$ L9 U+ u& G>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) Y6 R& z2 z* `9 w> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
& C* a% K* L& |7 }$ W+ e  W> 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
+ A3 Z$ n6 l& j9 i' D> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
9 r2 M% W& D/ ?> 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
" K* @6 `& v8 D& Z/ d8 c9 f> 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
* K' F1 A& i( n. m& `0 u! O  o> next at bat.
>
) j! E6 m% s6 z2 {- r> 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
! K% b  N" d8 I5 b' L> 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
! [+ H5 ^, w6 J6 c+ J& @8 E> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
  p3 g7 d' w% F  O/ a6 U. X7 O* \  o> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
$ r" i0 |, _; e9 e0 w& S2 L0 s> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
, Q  M) z! ^. J1 k# i% E2 F2 }2 G6 l! E>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
2 k; q& I' R7 M1 V2 h" Q( 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.
>
/ g5 P* C4 T, c6 |0 e> 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
4 C9 |5 `  ]& F2 I! \> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> 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
( O! X0 Z  e  H/ a> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
  \+ P; a( y. ^0 o, e7 V! e> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
2 e6 D" G9 Y: O# a> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
  `9 G$ V) E2 T* m& L- Z> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
4 i- z& S1 y# K0 e> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 W% M: T: a' p  X8 P> circled the bases toward home.
4 F1 K; B' E! U! L, P>
- j3 u& A$ h$ n! m2 [9 }> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
1 T  ~/ ?/ z  Y: @, e0 l8 v4 d" O>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
. K& |  Q2 V/ A( O1 g+ D1 R/ G> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
" P2 N: m0 Q+ i" y& q7 D> Shay, run to third!'
>
! s( `) V, l- U1 |9 v> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" _" \  i- b+ W6 o> 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.
4 H% M- s5 K' n4 B7 Z, u( s' J+ w>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
7 V- Z2 ?! K. Z, y* Z3 R7 n  K  K> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
+ t4 g5 y. L% j* r: a4 O. p+ G>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
0 U! m" q6 W, H> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
: Y) ^1 x1 S  ]2 V! S0 ^> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
! H* G4 n. P0 D9 |>
  V7 K' \+ k7 u3 {) T6 P  L> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
- O" W0 a9 v( ]  s7 A2 A. u- D; E> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
5 T0 D, O9 A  Y. p8 F# j: U% O5 u> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- S( v- y6 f5 C4 b" h9 Y> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ T- G2 ~5 U3 h% T; z> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 \' r- C; p, F& c> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
7 E+ z$ J7 z) }# O5 e; _> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
  C' X2 ?( q4 e  q/ |> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
( c% W8 R9 @6 }+ i4 a8 w> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
) ?0 ~4 y; P1 S7 _) P% W> 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
( A# c3 s6 O$ [> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' t" V3 Z! }7 b2 m> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
$ U& s" `: X4 B  W5 N$ ?; X" ~>
> You now have two choices:
$ o2 c" |7 b8 e! [4 c> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
! f- T1 m9 j. L6 Q( F> May your day, be a Shay Day.