Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
0 X/ C+ i& l+ |( j& H# t0 `  g/ j>
. l4 K0 q6 V" x% v: P) U6 F- h> 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
> same choice?
2 T& C; Q% o9 d" }# g  s4 I3 T" |>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
- g+ d2 j  G* j5 Z* s% p> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
) Q: A! H- N6 k+ H> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
! Z/ K) f; V/ {6 o> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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
4 l9 u" S& u& g9 b* P: {> natural order of things in my son?'
>
. y- R% h+ v2 i# @4 P+ {; a" Y> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
- d4 E, O0 t+ J" i% }" x, }* U3 z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
. s8 D# ?. p2 q& w> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
) u+ {& D) E  Z/ H( P4 F$ z. H> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
! D: s: D* r# e- T2 V> treat that child.'
% b8 @2 I( O# K>
> 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
> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
" D3 x, r$ z: z5 G7 {( ^2 K* r, Z>
# g) t' M3 _4 Q5 Z: 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
+ I/ Z, O, Q6 t> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
) u8 ?5 c. m+ d9 B" U' P+ ^> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
! q, J% A  C* r' t0 w) I>
9 Y$ I9 |5 }# q# a1 b) D> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% h/ Z) g  d, S5 n. V; S& T, Y> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
  `  W( L( A% @: `. g& l> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
, v& H, M- U' {! `1 c: [* `> 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
( c1 o6 O3 k9 `/ L) _> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
7 M/ ~  J$ q8 n9 y: h* \) u7 B> 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
2 z" q' F' k, e9 v! T% [' T> 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.
( V; O! V. z8 q7 C: t3 g6 o>
! V4 _; }9 T# q* i) [> 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
" p) A, R+ q( a# D6 \> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
* [* J% }8 J: Z) e" l4 h> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
% ]) J+ w- j0 I* d, S% i: E, v, I: _> 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
6 p' x2 u: P# D5 t# l- @$ S> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
; p; v4 L# v0 ]6 T; ]> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
$ c5 p. f& ^2 j( k9 W+ v>
( q7 B$ d$ u- b' y% N> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ m7 E. |2 T6 K9 H8 Z> 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
> 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.
) y% |+ X8 s3 R( {>
* K# ?$ D: T5 v! }" l1 r> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
+ x& l0 V  W2 J0 N8 X( t' M$ \& b> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
' l) ]! @( H6 M3 E  X4 c/ B> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
1 q: N+ O- [$ B4 S0 V, w, I* }> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
+ n, a& c% P- {. b> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
/ |" O6 Y3 q& u; V' W> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
* R. _/ v6 Q+ n. Y( @  Y% L/ c> circled the bases toward home.
>
: f, Q2 ^( q; L  h8 e/ N> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
6 l0 o" R' L: Z9 T>
( _0 E4 Z" T# i> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
& l9 j3 L' ^1 n1 H4 H) N/ e' q>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ V% J) @: ]/ D> 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.
>
, A) _' s! T/ `3 K6 T5 U, y* m  L" \: ]4 H> '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
& k' p3 {0 O- x> into this world'.
7 {1 j, }: J5 t: t% k>
$ U* [' Z: s  L" V! _2 R. H+ e0 a0 `> 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!
>
> 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
5 u# Q8 |1 G# J+ _4 B> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
+ S$ x1 O  W: F5 E; K> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
4 M/ Q; z( g8 P( \>
( X/ H9 X/ P8 m0 V> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
/ ^2 @3 @  V6 G( n> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
4 c9 Q6 N1 ^) \> '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
% I- x: V! T. e# D& o) }$ \> 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
> bit colder in the process?
$ ~6 c& a- s, ?0 k0 |>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 _7 @4 `1 E# \# s, x$ i( x) j> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
7 k4 ]- m1 z- m1 ?. c>
> You now have two choices:
' c, c7 f9 S3 [/ \5 O> 1. Delete
' o: c0 a, F" Y9 ~> 2. Forward
3 f7 \! m! w2 S>
7 w6 N  i8 g+ q- L* x> May your day, be a Shay Day.