Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
, n& H, r6 H+ I9 v>
2 l) _2 r4 G# r/ I> 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
. P/ P+ {# r) s> same choice?
>
> 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
! J. u) J, q6 {. @  K> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
2 G8 ~1 R4 S9 V% O5 V3 n> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
% R3 g. u- e( H9 T/ [% G5 g& B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
: u, p3 E+ H7 O2 s6 s> natural order of things in my son?'
7 l: [* w8 A3 ?2 C2 C, R>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
2 ~+ y. U2 W7 N* C! l! d# H' L> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ c8 L+ r. P; i9 f) V* T4 A> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
/ t) y: Y( C- ~: ^> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
2 [: N. D) o$ y# ], ?> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
. A% i& U/ n# s8 |& [4 ^! {2 {>
> 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
> 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,
2 W6 ]( S4 H6 r) S) q0 e& K> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
! D" i2 N2 z/ I- e>
) @' m: i* Z; ^- J# k( Z> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
) G( N/ J: N, B$ C* _+ r) O, p> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
- `& s$ j$ e: h3 e: M8 _> inning.'
8 v$ `1 Y. L6 O  O. z" S>
8 S) j1 o8 t1 c, t> 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
> 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
+ H' T7 ^5 \/ u; T> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
1 D# C0 X- [( P: g. 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
8 g4 h+ z# a; ]) }+ E4 w; f> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
1 i+ O( k  Y. Y+ c* O. y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
/ w1 `4 P, M" I* v/ \> 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,
. E: ~; s& G" E> much less connect with the ball.
! X) Z6 X/ U, k2 A6 K# L> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ o6 `1 h0 d% B$ e8 w) a> 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
- p- X0 q6 R. j: z% |) X" r> 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.
3 B# W; K; B9 @& q! f' l: `> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
  Q( n2 ~- g( R6 y6 c* f>
$ I. a* v& M% k; @0 {# a0 L; z/ r2 A> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' A, n# K5 L) p( b> 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
3 n/ s9 X4 L* O6 x  l# s: A> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
: C* C8 W2 j; w5 C> 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,
# ~+ p: a* s/ u/ F- w> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
  c/ l. G1 a. D- u5 T> 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
7 y* |4 P* G: C4 ~> 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
8 e% O% w3 [2 v# F1 w> 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
6 M5 H7 m& u% w' K9 Q* h> circled the bases toward home.
* m+ E1 [7 V( u: w9 \( t7 R>
; b9 i' _' h, `0 q* K> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
. `; }1 k. c! H0 v; N>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
! f& @! i+ t4 k. \> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
9 w8 t, B! O$ \> Shay, run to third!'
: k* [: L2 j! A0 y% _9 ]! [7 v+ `; `>
> 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
& U% ^" I# r+ Q( N9 D. w> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
. q# b# K$ d( R) h: \0 r& F$ i* ]4 x> game for his team.
" G# V! o) c  Q$ T>
> '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'.
>
2 M6 y" E4 ~; m0 O' Y; y( p> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
- X: L) B* n- k6 w6 I' q> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
! u+ ~; c3 ]; Z7 g9 l' i# D* x> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
% @, R* j9 Y+ T& @( O> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ _! W) B  @' Q" ]: j" a> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
  ?# q: s1 a. C+ h  i' b2 c> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
8 m9 c7 w9 M0 P" s* h- @9 W$ [8 l> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
' v! v7 {$ s4 B" H) U+ L* _+ Z> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
+ K5 L) o8 H3 K; I- g> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
5 Z) Q# N( _* x  i8 ^7 I+ h5 o  e7 V. f>
8 S# k% ]3 P6 ^+ M% g- R> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* Q7 ?" \6 d( f3 }9 u> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
$ E' W8 }2 W- S& \: h8 P- m>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
* u; l* G( t8 j$ S; c1 s2 C; M>
9 _9 A3 w0 Q' l0 c> May your day, be a Shay Day.