Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
$ W& Q2 T& ^9 s>
) U8 _6 w9 D: N+ E+ t> 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
" I  `. Q( g9 p  s; |3 e1 e  E> same choice?
>
) Y1 A  w$ b; G3 e> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
& I! i4 A  F) i  W& S1 e7 w> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
/ {# d6 B, b/ a1 G# a. N5 Z> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
% \4 ^( N: }+ t3 L- n" K6 H> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
& h3 D8 u. i; L' N> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> 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.'
+ m. O4 g9 f6 Y>
. W; Q5 @/ o  A/ Q/ U> Then he told the following story:
( E$ B3 c9 S, M>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
( B- F* K" o3 Z3 o- h# l+ M> 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
: E4 `: {9 F9 J& \> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% z7 M2 ^0 t3 g* x, x> 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
$ ~: N+ a8 |& Q> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
# a# K$ ]1 [. y8 a8 k> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
; h" [0 n) L# a/ [* p> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
* z$ j( h" I9 t3 \8 W> 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
> 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
0 ~3 b/ F# D* X" ^9 N: |+ U> 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.
/ P, F% k2 p( D0 f' ]0 h* }# c>
$ W' T6 ^+ D/ D6 @$ o# ]! |  `' A> 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,
1 P1 [" \7 Z! u' C1 x* Z> much less connect with the ball.
, z3 o" F# C' A( ?) c> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
+ A2 P7 ?8 T2 s6 \> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
* a( V" {4 G3 |> 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
/ G  `6 c0 R* Y7 U> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
2 ]$ `5 j8 \$ D+ R& [% }5 A> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 b9 o- V6 L6 E> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
8 M! I$ K1 h! H> 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
% p% O0 ~. h# y% O, ]* N> 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,
$ |% g/ o& p4 k; P> wide-eyed and startled.
>
) z( f1 J- v8 n1 k4 o> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> 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
7 l  z- l: C+ {  v$ x/ l> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
8 L4 [3 W, a. Q5 e$ d> 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
5 V6 \$ @0 p9 g: o> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
& a  O, g6 W6 C# J- N>
' i4 B+ y* h; |$ M) I0 F2 {> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
# P6 F, O* z7 }, J1 o) M> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
* T! y1 e+ H$ B6 o+ s5 x( B% T7 Z> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
* B; s' S. I+ |* b. X* v> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
& |# |/ x. D! m> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
) @  D3 f) r  h& h* E1 W( W' L4 U> game for his team.
>
! `0 o! k9 I; M- k> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 j) J: W3 W- C1 q/ H> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
/ f1 n0 @( y0 O8 C7 _4 M, i> into this world'.
>
% c0 o- X6 |( g7 U7 H' K& P> 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
$ X, w3 p* {; ?( B> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
  @0 Y1 n) r  ^' k% i0 a* C: \" d: R>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* _" @3 T& U( \> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
& [8 i% f& O  ?/ A. m* |> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
0 B8 Q2 C, t; R> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ b; A( ]6 m2 R9 u> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
3 D5 ?' a. L8 e; I  X0 O4 x+ M: A' k>
. V) k$ q. w2 e( L7 P. f> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
8 b$ r% q5 D; H5 B5 w1 \" N4 b> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
/ @+ |5 I2 E9 @+ Q/ Z$ o> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
1 c$ ~" u2 s- U0 b> 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
. p5 c4 ?4 w0 Q> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
' R* n9 B& L* d' r5 }> 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
. A8 M, [# w# \: R, d> bit colder in the process?
>
4 t" z7 i2 A( N, E9 O> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' K; t; T+ V( O) J9 G> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
/ w, f: I, P8 X/ r9 Q8 [$ p; n. I>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
4 n# v4 |* E8 m  u. @) i! B> 2. Forward
1 a3 V" R1 s8 l* u0 R6 `9 D>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.