Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
5 \& e, Z! L+ K# I6 R2 e4 V' U6 [> 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
> same choice?
0 F3 a5 o0 S" T" b>
4 L3 a! Y9 U' P. U# X> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ ]9 C9 |( K& |' f' M1 w6 I> 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:
>
8 A; G$ s( _( H/ @> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
& |- n/ c7 B% G1 Y- `> 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?'
>
+ c3 j$ u1 _0 g( ]> The audience was stilled by the query.
, T) `7 i" N  L  d4 e>
% C4 H. K+ b, \% `7 S( I> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
0 t$ ~" O3 P7 P> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. N7 t% g7 y. o5 z+ }> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> 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
  |. a8 a3 p: Y# y" n> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
. M3 A" `3 I* X+ S( X1 c+ e2 ]> 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
* l0 i1 F0 F9 o) a: Z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
( y' u1 i* ^' g1 Y1 \; Z6 v' b> 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
7 [. H, |) |- s  R5 p> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
9 v' W& q1 W  n* F2 }& l& e/ Y> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
" v- ~+ S( R2 H- K# z* N" Q> 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
- l! b$ b+ }& w  M> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
8 p/ U7 s; ~' H' ?. H> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
/ k# f- _( k8 V% y! c3 U9 T  j> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
; D5 m- `% Z& i- `  A- z: A> 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
7 L: l/ `2 O8 n: D% k0 B> next at bat.
# [7 L+ T6 k' V( v* z+ ^6 i>
- |/ B  [% }' m( x  B; E' ~4 z> 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
) f0 ^7 q8 B/ o& Y9 c; u* s* C/ y> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> 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
" [9 v' P7 J" T7 R" t7 S5 L> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
9 g* y( c% d) i  T" n7 F> 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
* A+ S( ]6 o7 G; I" N0 v> right back to the pitcher.
>
$ h# N5 e% x' v6 O7 r> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
, o, p3 P/ }: Y( l0 }/ k> 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.
>
6 |+ c  F+ y+ V> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
- X2 l2 k5 T0 T; X; M5 V( H> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( n- V" `$ F- j4 ^> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
# a6 Y& J+ |" n7 Q/ C> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
( {! ~: ]* ?, j8 G  R/ D8 Z> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
( \  V* g+ j0 l7 d, E> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 M# D/ d5 z9 z5 U! l> 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
$ ]  Z* F! A4 M% c. y% x$ ^7 c> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
! ]& Y5 o# n& ~. c9 x> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
. @1 V( J0 ?" F0 r% |1 L  M$ T> 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.
" \7 Z) Z/ j3 K5 O>
> 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
, R' a, g! K9 F7 F> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
! Z' C4 L/ R* Q, a1 a> Shay, run to third!'
>
3 Y# w- U  t2 R+ j> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, F6 e4 A% `/ f( p% n> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
0 j6 M' T' g- \> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
$ U. V/ n  M- O# p> game for his team.
/ F6 ?' _  K+ _: s& G( K6 `% `>
! Z6 \1 Y" }, }  Q7 b7 D> '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
# x& e/ ?+ l8 w) v) W" i- d> into this world'.
/ f2 W( ?; m  g- k, J>
* k& h& m3 O$ O6 F> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 I" c2 A( w% R8 H' p- }9 y6 Z& ?, t5 S( K> 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!
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> 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
& h7 i' T: P$ W0 u9 f) U' _> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
! X# J/ Q- H" Q  S2 R. M" e+ C> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
4 F8 |$ D6 F3 }+ m> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
2 [% @- h$ C2 ~7 h2 k$ [& D: W>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% U5 R# n+ R* q9 C6 H+ [" b/ z> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
* B2 @0 c2 J8 L, I4 G> '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
, Y; n0 t) c, b( b> 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
7 H, i3 L+ V0 q; g- Y4 o- O; N> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 Z$ [5 f4 s( V* R: u2 ?6 q  J* p> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
" M4 p/ j5 Y4 W1 z9 j# A>
  j  {  A0 n+ J) c4 t# M, z. N3 Q> You now have two choices:
6 P7 O$ @9 U+ u3 G) T> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.