Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% L9 {- d6 L# B( D+ b5 ?& V> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
5 R7 v" l8 O# b# G* j7 [> same choice?
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5 u6 w# {) r4 T: n> 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
4 J6 P2 u! O) m$ L  k1 l2 H) H' @> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
8 l3 F  U0 l5 ?> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
& {+ o" A# p  B% s+ F> 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
+ H% ^/ ~2 C8 E> natural order of things in my son?'
>
& U: }8 _% n$ u9 ~! f> The audience was stilled by the query.
  [( K& E6 v- `0 c- s3 [5 L6 K>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
+ m( W$ O8 o( v9 L3 f> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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' [4 H! t/ ?( L6 Z> Then he told the following story:
>
' f; L! o1 a3 e. [* N> 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
  ^4 T9 v: s+ Y> 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,
> 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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> 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
/ z) m& e" P# G! ]- U> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
+ d. c# {" i& [, |$ D2 t> inning.'
>
, k3 @2 L) J7 }/ B. X/ r> 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
8 Y9 G) ]- q6 W1 {> 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
> 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
' y5 B* {8 c$ H& M3 d> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
8 i6 R( F: ?- r2 N> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
- g9 X# J7 K( w  ?$ U! C> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
& X7 l, @* k& ~$ p> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ L# v4 l& t* p2 m& L8 E1 U  j& H> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
  }$ C* g3 @* \# ^$ m, F! ~1 q> 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
" c, s0 m6 t  Y6 u4 F3 \' w> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
: u5 ?8 f+ Y# T6 Y  Y' q' B> 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
8 d8 T+ X' _9 E% \> 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
2 e( j6 _5 C. K+ k# O  {4 n> right back to the pitcher.
>
4 q* s8 ~1 q# M! h8 ]0 B; t6 O> 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
> 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,
8 E( z+ q6 @# r" O7 c5 |- z4 p> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
& z& f! |& O6 L: `7 M) j> 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
$ v1 L% [: e2 h> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
6 v. [3 B3 i1 E% w1 f7 E% N; L> 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,
> 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
% ?2 @) P  M, k6 j, U> circled the bases toward home.
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8 f( n' I+ D; t: ?1 h3 q/ ?7 m> 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!
7 ~8 t1 ~) r' D, V9 D# ~( R9 g> Shay, run to third!'
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0 M7 M# f' X6 e# H+ i> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, U: Q4 B' q" L' ?; x> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
0 x' L) J; \9 w> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
/ S' r$ k6 G0 q3 a> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
' g" ^* ^7 R6 L2 M3 c3 _> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
& t4 U6 E+ j, O* w) x& U: r> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) @5 {, N( k  e. i> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
$ H9 R; M8 H/ t> 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
- p# r/ s; x0 u: e! Z, @2 ~> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
( }5 M+ X: I$ Q> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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7 z; J7 E, @: ^0 V$ g' [, `> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
> 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
% t  e& [' }* n3 W( k' h> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
1 t& y0 |" _; }1 i1 k0 J> 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?
>
& R6 d& `3 R7 ]$ J/ p0 n/ ]> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 v" D7 I* H: E. e7 h3 i. ^> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
3 n7 ?% `. [# W3 m> You now have two choices:
1 ]( j/ I# B% S7 V8 K> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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. p* |7 P* `# Y3 D& Y; j- v' r( |> May your day, be a Shay Day.