Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
0 R# \9 j5 O- w8 U>
> 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
! {# }7 I) q$ c: d! \$ Y> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
% O+ [5 i3 Z5 h& y- D% Q, I; ~> 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
- e! q4 H- V8 L$ G% R> staff, he offered a question:
% g- e. a* N! t; U; d>
/ _. H  e% j6 J> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 r& L- b/ f6 B* A' F8 _/ K, }7 P> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' @8 m, R% k/ W( V> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
. n+ h3 z' y% _8 [/ E8 P" q, f>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
  D( @, M5 ?( Z; u/ V; h1 i3 A> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
. R* t' ^+ N# Y1 K& l3 W> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
% u  ^8 e  q1 N' s, G- O# z> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
! l; `) j6 o3 W/ k" i> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
  [5 o+ U5 m1 ?% c0 h) Z> 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.
>
> 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
) d9 w: [9 f( D" [0 r> 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
% i) X; }' O: E2 ~> inning.'
>
) f7 h3 ]5 }2 u  P5 y> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
5 D6 ^5 @4 K6 P> 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
! Z) e/ V2 `2 T0 M> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
! h- {0 Z, x4 `5 _$ \> 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
> 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.
- e/ B( u, Z: |1 p4 ~>
$ O9 r: M  i/ n" O- R( h> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
# e0 g+ E7 m) k. d$ t+ T* ?; q> 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.
; m3 U$ j6 y& ~, z: V4 U& [, K> 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
" w, X3 o6 j5 R> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
/ N2 v' b8 j3 G  a( z. a> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' c: a3 q$ ]6 f: d0 M> right back to the pitcher.
- \+ ?- Q3 K' c>
8 M! T' D7 n- M! J( C9 |; ]* k> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 B+ P: t( b' X$ z: i1 v> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
9 ^0 B( ?9 y$ ?( ?& ]% @% i> out and that would have been the end of the game.
/ J& G2 J! o# i) i  f: r>
2 _9 p( q! ]" V: p& u0 M> 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.
2 X4 W$ a6 [& Z9 I# y/ L>
3 M( y" T" c/ B4 X8 n; P> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
/ M. o+ f5 I, z  v! U$ c> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
# }' Y! E4 n6 m& P7 P  K- w. `> 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,
3 [/ W' k# W+ H3 n7 v' H- f> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
0 q" ?* d) e0 }. T% j> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
3 R* j1 A% ~7 J3 \) P+ u# ]6 b>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
' q2 J8 J5 U: X8 E>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
1 p, j0 v& {; E/ G: 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
# @- G" [! o* g) t> game for his team.
>
$ d/ {& K, t2 P> '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
) E' W; r. R% J- {8 K> into this world'.
9 C$ r; ]9 a0 l7 o* Q" r0 a9 l>
* ]5 S: B% F7 X% k- z> 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
3 Y  Q3 K5 v# w  B> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
/ a4 E$ ?( A  ^- t6 }/ ^' C>
  V0 M2 [) S  U4 U3 x) r> 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
2 q; E0 y, R2 s0 O: r> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
% Q9 C. e& c* }: H; d. G/ i> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
+ N$ g4 q9 k1 P! n, z5 X7 ^>
> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
# N0 n6 W) h: I: n> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
; d+ v9 q0 T8 z9 A' B/ D> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
" ~9 z: C2 T7 G* i2 a> 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?
  o2 f8 [% L# h; l) k& y3 |>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
5 r" h4 h$ f5 F, w' D( q+ u  G>
- Q8 L  _: c6 i1 M: A> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
# ]+ S9 S4 `$ Z- N8 R. ^>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.