Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
0 f2 V. w0 t) e- L>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) S4 }. S4 x( @" r* a- q' R> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
' O/ J( e5 K( h4 b" q/ O9 X; o5 P6 \0 ]> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> 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
* H/ @/ m- T! b9 [" l) {3 u> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
# v8 q2 C' i- G% v8 l  z>
1 Y' d( P; d8 {# i8 O* V2 F1 T> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
, j  b$ q/ }, Y> 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
, H7 d# D7 G6 t8 [# O> treat that child.'
>
8 n" Y& _/ I+ h+ D5 |% T; f> Then he told the following story:
2 R: T# Y/ o( V# J1 f0 L, O>
. N' y, d' g# S6 g> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
- `0 a* s* C/ K( ]  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
8 j0 L4 D" ^0 N- ^0 f> 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
, v1 I$ a% o: T" J& S> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
# }2 c4 o+ Z0 H. X  m6 X% T>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- G5 W# |. D% ?9 q> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
> 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
# e- Q& j4 a$ \) F8 U6 @* r> inning.'
>
' i6 \& O+ ~1 N: O* ~5 q> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
1 X) |4 t% J' p$ }, f> 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
( v& c1 @) ~( W9 e> 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
( z7 e, r+ X5 I) y# i5 b' G2 k> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
. x6 z, ?: G9 X, X> 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
! K+ D0 x, B0 i& M$ }* J+ s* _> next at bat.
9 {& u% `* N. g* C( b* n! b3 T>
$ S% w7 J* x7 g' I( A9 R> 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
6 b9 G. O# s" t> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
$ o9 Q+ s" F, Y! q3 a, M0 G> 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
+ N' Z- ?( n$ Z2 I; o6 h> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
8 h( b" N9 P1 q0 [/ u> 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
> 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.
' x" N! A" [5 _7 k6 H>
/ S' c/ f, n- y4 c1 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
% [  @0 U( x/ Z$ i( L0 |/ I% r7 U> 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,
/ C) k* N6 Z1 r> wide-eyed and startled.
7 ~. A; b$ a, `>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
/ R& X" [4 u! }' X! J( Z) o7 c> 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
4 V, S6 n; Z5 M> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ }3 r7 W) c0 j& R+ K$ _: y( h$ K> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
% Q# r; c6 F& v' C# U+ B> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
+ T: g7 G$ {( ~; ~' @" ?> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
. M7 v8 \& {, Y- q: Q! k& V> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
' ^0 n7 y8 O3 A: j> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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
> into this world'.
>
. |- M- F+ t8 Z+ e> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
" Z  f8 W3 ]0 d' e5 P* W4 b> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
' b8 n& f9 O; N6 Y. g0 K> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
  `# M& t. v( ]- j& F& J>
, _2 D: N8 s' Q! A> 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
! _$ O$ T' ^  h  N> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ |0 h1 R: R9 X6 ?! O> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
; H. ^0 N. ]) y  _+ J0 R: _1 f# ?9 G/ `>
* I1 l, Z  Y0 k> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# N9 t  c4 G  r0 {/ {& L> 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
( ]( @. C: l3 _  g/ ]1 `+ G> 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
> 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?
  l  W1 Q, w& A: J$ F) X2 |$ Z>
4 E8 R) d  I9 }1 D> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
. l! [0 k  |  {3 L>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
: V+ g7 U' J$ d! O7 z8 |> 2. Forward
2 Q" g3 U7 a; l& w! }4 U# I" J3 W3 j>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.