Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* {6 }. d8 u. d7 _( b> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
+ d/ f, @0 |4 c4 \9 z0 m( a> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
6 B( f4 d8 A" ~, T, T8 S7 `- r> 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
; l3 J/ ^3 S" u% m8 M9 W/ L> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- P! f. h6 Q$ j$ n9 z> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 V; V' S2 D. g3 y- ]" C: ~> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
) O: x7 v, J2 _$ d> natural order of things in my son?'
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! J- i) ^- U3 C: q2 e2 d> The audience was stilled by the query.
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1 N1 @( ~% R1 w( G6 s> 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
" c. J4 ^# o% u7 v7 M1 {4 u2 J8 u> treat that child.'
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. L' `8 j; h0 f, ~9 h' K> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
5 j- h8 B  h  Y4 y% ]- H/ X6 [- g& G/ I7 Y> 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
: T) N; Z( u6 `7 A. l7 v) |+ _% [" T! s8 e> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
/ p( ]9 S9 u( z( Z* ^9 q, @> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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7 C* g3 T6 p7 `4 h' ~6 S> 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
% V1 ?7 F# X' X6 C4 Z4 h> 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
$ y/ N" `# V  J. m) `" ]> inning.'
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" N/ f! {# H2 e" c  }% K: ~> 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
# V7 v2 p2 c1 ~! y- M> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 e0 I8 `. c. F6 L# @1 ]8 o& D> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
; `" @3 L, b' k( F& q> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
& V1 d1 o* I8 X7 X5 Z# U> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
9 c( f. M( Y" A! S. H8 m  C> 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
! @- R( ~, X  k; \  c& n. E' z9 O> next at bat.
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$ b) y, J4 ^9 v2 L5 p> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
1 j4 C6 D& e. q( i" }( ^' u* U; T3 ~, E> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
* |  w# c1 ^+ y) V0 H# U4 p2 h> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
" ?, a( e- b+ z> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
+ i: \$ ^+ r9 q9 `2 @0 z: Q0 _> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
* O5 a9 |" Z7 P6 I> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; Q  h# `7 T. ]/ V7 u> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
7 |8 j5 [7 d. @& N- F3 Z! N' B& }> 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.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> 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
$ h8 u5 E7 |- O/ \9 s6 B> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ a+ c, J+ l5 K/ y> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
7 @* u, y, |6 m8 E4 H> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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* b. v" y/ @, O) j# L0 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
> 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
% s7 W2 p4 j4 K% b7 c' z/ `> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
* ^2 f& w5 G# E8 ?> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
' u! d$ y$ G" }: U( B$ V> 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
" T! e1 Z% o$ {> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
& H' g' i3 X$ F> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
! Z$ h+ j6 W8 y( `) }7 X$ U1 F> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 I) v- w2 E3 i5 Y> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
* i' |: H4 h  j7 J1 a> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
) p' T1 U, _7 M. O; r4 [> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" G: Q2 C8 z$ d! A% l5 P! g' k/ ]> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> 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
. E1 K4 N2 `: C. b. ]% i9 b> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
% L& v% \4 N) t% Y4 k3 h> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
, ~* k: [7 L  c) l8 z> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
3 b6 [0 v, O* [6 f- {> 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
* j! `" v& S$ J> 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
" q; S( X# V0 i/ @* n> 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
/ k% [" T  z, G2 |# ]9 i> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
2 R! Y2 ^; j6 \> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, C; Q& P- {* F, I* E8 e, {; _' j> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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9 }0 B# \9 R7 s$ F" g3 m> You now have two choices:
* n) ]8 P% ]- v9 a, s3 K6 R- v> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.