Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
& K6 Y( \. E6 |& g) s5 o* ?6 I3 D+ C' V>
# O! a+ O: t  x& C/ L4 ^> 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?
>
# J9 g2 s% ~- l> 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
* Y: j0 [4 B& T) R9 T+ l: Y> staff, he offered a question:
) C' D. [0 c* A9 ~>
- Y& ?5 y5 j  n" R7 \8 n> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
" V/ l$ W/ x, M1 ~3 p> natural order of things in my son?'
6 Q. H( e+ I: d* h>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
$ ]0 b* Q) Z2 H' P>
5 Z$ r4 v9 ^/ ]; o+ R" E> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
8 U( {6 N5 }3 S6 f1 ?- i> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& H: t  E6 |( H* t0 R. v$ j1 G! T> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
2 F( p% h0 c8 z7 ]> 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
6 A8 K) c: c1 j. A; c8 m5 h> 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.
" x7 y; U9 A7 M) |1 \; A>
> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
% @) x: s5 P% ~. [: H> 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
) C6 }/ [  n7 ]1 v0 Z6 g( [> 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
, Z- C" c3 i8 p0 G' t> 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
> next at bat.
9 ~" [- I/ I- n0 o8 z9 t>
> 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
( ~, V6 q9 E8 I# P5 V> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
; A) a8 z' ~+ m5 w> much less connect with the ball.
4 \2 ^* W$ a; C) Y> 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
9 n7 P, B! w& _, V> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
( F" x- }; W+ t8 O& f6 }> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 ~; [, L6 q! U- b/ e! P> 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.
" Y. V, K, I- p& Y5 o7 S# z/ g# a) V>
> 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.
2 K# F5 d& n) I8 N0 Q& a) {>
" U2 F1 B" F. 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
8 q' `5 K+ O3 f7 B4 C> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
7 H8 A8 |/ k. {> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
( Z( A. b6 O. Z6 k( n) C: N/ 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
  M2 o0 o% y: x2 n' h> 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
3 g* W1 _( ^- V5 K1 t> circled the bases toward home.
>
9 a4 U, }- ^, p5 t1 z5 r, M  A> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
$ y/ ~/ y- `, l- a>
$ d4 R$ }3 Y2 C% S8 D1 E6 D0 H% l& W> 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!
( K3 C7 W6 I, N3 I  }' V, w7 |> Shay, run to third!'
>
( x; w& Z9 ~, K9 @+ Q! M7 u> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
- x- a: F1 q/ b* [+ t3 i> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
' E8 m( C4 `" W8 C' ?! `/ v! Q> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
" {" s0 q, w& A5 ~  A6 ~> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
; f2 `2 e* I8 n. l- z# |- |> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
. U1 |( F5 m; O>
> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
2 ~' ^% q( P1 I3 Z> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
& ^. g: Z9 c4 G! ]7 K+ V> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
  L7 m# k6 P( f& i>
> 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
9 w( P# ?! D+ R> '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
9 a! m) ]  Y2 Y> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
$ S! ~; g* ~* j+ t" i+ X  K3 n* n> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
. Z; u4 p! a! h% z) L4 m' \> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
- d$ P: X" R8 l& b> 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
$ _8 H$ r- A. D> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
, y8 }' f, O' m) z. j: o0 u> You now have two choices:
# r  @; A1 |$ {7 j1 Y- ]+ }> 1. Delete
3 z: w% l5 j' d0 w+ w> 2. Forward
>
" u: u2 M- {0 j+ ~: e0 X2 e> May your day, be a Shay Day.