Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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- u! A3 a* N; m& ]+ g> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
- _8 J5 R) f, R( F4 D> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  U* m4 F  m4 {> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
9 S% e$ @! s0 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
0 `; y, w! z1 L5 F$ o> staff, he offered a question:
( T7 W* i% l  C/ V' ]>
. G" I* l! {2 I. c, _- N> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
" C5 c! H) [; F4 W; Q> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 k4 k6 v" M6 b; U> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
' |4 y& \# o0 ?  y2 Y> The audience was stilled by the query.
) M5 ^2 J/ u" i( l! ^>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 B) v+ Y1 I9 M6 |& x> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
1 [2 v2 {* y' ~( M' s> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
4 P4 p9 Z; h: K0 C4 R1 i- D> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
1 [8 _4 A2 P) `> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
0 u9 f, o. H" p" V5 l9 z> 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,
: R+ C) R4 C+ d2 I> 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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. d6 A* X% g3 H0 N5 h) e( r' D$ S  b8 P> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 H* R; O: X- N. X( l. T> 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.'
+ N/ X' k/ [" Q& n3 ?$ U>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
9 Y; u* b6 z' {. D8 g; y> 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
4 b7 N5 `! v# u, r2 z5 }% Z> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
- K! D5 k! H. N; F% L> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
5 U) l- c; t/ B3 c/ o! R2 p> 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
$ V4 }0 a( U' ~7 r> 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
8 M+ }- ?, x' g- m# x0 P> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
* M9 i7 e0 v; k/ U" `* ^: `> 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,
% N; s+ v% p0 t* g9 ]> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 ^9 V- m+ `3 x, C7 _  t3 C> 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
> 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 U/ F; R7 C% w* N> 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
, k+ A7 @" H7 b* }* B> 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
, Y& {0 R& x7 N4 B$ I9 q> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
- J' ?/ L1 ^' y* x" s> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
3 q2 |- A. ~0 `$ c> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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( X% H1 f- F" j> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 V2 a7 a7 M. F4 N& k8 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
3 o6 ~. v$ H2 w4 l0 ]) L> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
" L$ @) }) H, @- f> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
; u9 h* S, K& P' X7 Q> 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
) Q% v: v: v& R9 @+ w> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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6 ]7 Z" H% o$ A9 k& i> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
4 h. Q7 O6 W# r; \( D% \> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
; w( R( ^  y, @4 A0 F9 S2 Z> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
0 a& ]0 |' D, r( Y/ |- V1 R> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
6 V# |# M- V$ u> '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
; I4 t. l. ?8 Y( t> into this world'.
0 U& R( N* r' _>
> 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
! h  i" c; f0 ^6 ]  h$ D3 a> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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) a! j' L. C, [. I& m> 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
& ^2 E/ C. b1 d) L, _) F> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
( z- G2 z6 e) n! y- o& Q  l( h> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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: b3 S9 n# C3 N+ ?' Y7 r> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' z  h4 i7 |  b$ _8 M, H> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
# }2 J" S8 J9 p$ q. L> '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
/ H5 ?( `* n# E: c' m4 j1 s> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
) @3 w2 j8 |$ L/ @; V% E: B> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
5 C# a3 `/ J- g4 ]! @5 }# Y- G> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
* ]9 v9 a* l( n! M3 \> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
6 ^+ D; H0 b0 r  M( p9 `> bit colder in the process?
>
1 C( \- c/ M2 B4 g4 E5 f> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
& z9 F. t3 J6 k/ p! E/ [> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.