Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
% P3 u1 y. k7 g2 M5 U" K8 [> same choice?
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- ?: c( I" [2 Q/ J' Q> 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
- q+ A. y  L2 M1 k8 W2 \5 M5 \> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 X- v7 G* {5 h: L' o> 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
# C, j+ f& F1 D* [& b: G$ O" R> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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$ p9 g. f4 c& u7 K> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 H6 @; M6 y6 f0 C7 {% W: J> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
# D; A1 r- I9 X$ `> treat that child.'
>
1 T4 k% z$ A4 C/ E> 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
7 s* N3 W- v) I9 z2 L/ l& C% U+ W> 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,
- |0 M) J& O" O. o7 R> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
, k1 e: d2 g0 w+ N" G# [> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
/ g7 C. x; ~' 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
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
* _$ |8 k  [( y% }0 ]$ T# w3 K) F" O> 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
+ l- b% }& _- A1 z# ]3 e/ q> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
5 B  [& Q8 l6 {7 C/ v> 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
" V/ E4 b! `, A7 K& m) P> 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
, v5 t% f% w7 T: }* F2 L9 [> next at bat.
>
2 Y0 }$ p1 u$ ]  R6 h> 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
# C9 s; i0 H# ?) _* `- E$ v> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 k7 |: t& i0 Z( i8 L8 @> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
> 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
% S/ v# |1 G) Y. W& X- ~) W> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
) x3 c7 Y; J0 n+ l$ C; M> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
4 `  b1 k* @/ P' [$ V2 |' S' \" S> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
9 \* I4 I/ r( F/ f+ T0 R> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
6 n8 [5 a9 I# K5 k8 R> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, r* x5 v' ~7 O' w& `5 Z" ?> 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
' V: v3 h: Z! \3 j> 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,
0 e$ F" a: j  C" t+ Z. M" Z0 c> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
. E; f3 s  J1 \' g1 H> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
; W1 m6 j8 {0 k6 E% C& b8 {> circled the bases toward home.
>
( }6 s1 d  J) V& R" T> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> 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!'
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5 W: F  _) Y% ~8 ~6 a> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
3 P3 K; f2 ^" k: o> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
: q+ H& f1 C2 o& e2 k5 u+ m( H> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" Y& c" J& ^. [6 g3 k0 N5 a> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
* p1 c$ @2 v: `9 I9 I6 {9 F> into this world'.
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> 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
0 ]( |& b& E, R; o; {1 O> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
; S. H: a/ ~8 r, a( O0 ~% j> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
6 g' R' I9 G  M& B  A> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
3 z( V1 ^2 W1 g> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
8 |1 D9 ?: b3 q4 l. Q  w> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. S; R& T, z0 F* k( N( a( G# W) h> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
: ~$ {1 }2 a8 l> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
$ \8 J1 d  R/ V% X! Z> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
4 T* Q* e) I" A$ v' g- K> '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
8 b( O+ ]: b& z* `  {7 C> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
! b. L" F- X' a! x$ B> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
: m) l  ^/ o; y! n* x> 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?
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4 F* p$ q: j- ^0 |> A wise man once said every society is judged by
) o7 g, x- d3 [/ P3 \4 ^> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
$ `: A) E. Z/ ]* F7 [" W, m> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.