Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
( y1 o) c; F# V+ F2 g4 {& ]& o2 Z> same choice?
>
1 Y- a( ?2 ]# t& l$ k* M7 r2 H3 O, p> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
/ Y" o$ a7 f4 M! S2 z> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
3 o$ U0 e! g4 t4 i. F, q, V> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
+ L. s! P4 n& v: L& Y/ z, m> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
/ e. M" K1 r/ p& q> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
5 Z7 v* ?) R  ?! t7 Y> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
& I7 ]% q! n! e  `! X: z, R> natural order of things in my son?'
* e# \: |, N" t: ]>
( I6 U, f0 G* R> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
8 c8 n" n8 g3 X8 x6 Y' \$ b> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 H6 s; J6 E# M6 r  [6 Y' G( q2 y> 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.'
>
9 \- e: u0 z% s9 R. y) @> Then he told the following story:
>
+ k) q" @, t6 j+ C2 ~' ^> 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
8 G+ r  A% k, A0 ~! D> 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.
>
> 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
; Y4 J. s2 h2 b  [: Z; b> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
& E  J9 K" Q% S, f% P> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
4 Q# U& g! W, t3 r> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
, ~" U; j0 X' m9 t9 Q! y) y> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
( b* C: u; d0 T. s> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
" L6 \0 F$ J5 E& }6 z; G# P5 c> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
% {# \9 n! C4 a! N; b> 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
! t! u+ U- f* H# c) {) u> next at bat.
>
' o  [9 @9 X  h0 S+ P7 T7 @3 e' O1 M> 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
( p6 ^/ ?$ z9 Y; Z) t8 O> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
; Y9 L% r( {% r$ }( y, @> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
* @( R5 c9 k" D" j4 f' q> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
9 _6 L# Q# S6 E  S) X> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
0 L+ {; L' [0 h% r& G: |> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
; _! [2 o! P# M( i3 s. s> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
% o: c# `! }  O4 v3 k; a$ p5 V6 h5 @5 d> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 q6 Q( [" m3 `0 A> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
0 S+ _8 C4 R+ p3 I# e> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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  u# T; F& [- a! d3 Q" R6 q! ?- e8 _> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
3 u" b, R, |: E7 v( ?$ w1 T8 w> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
+ Z7 [* M) F; t8 E> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
& C% r! }9 j- a# J" l> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
  I  w( y3 Q! a* \- h# J> wide-eyed and startled.
>
' i9 ^7 A. w9 H4 P6 J: x( Z> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 X9 P8 K2 i+ r( N4 @> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
) `& }* q2 x$ Y. Q> 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
7 @6 \! I0 e. I% `) P6 P7 ~0 Z: j; X> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
9 W  |7 x# \- \" }' a( u. a: D, w! D> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
3 s% d9 V, i$ u> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
+ `0 C% b# {$ P9 b( x> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
5 M$ l' ?5 w, t0 M) m; q" K5 a; h- g1 Q>
* N1 g" x6 r' ~4 K6 A7 G> 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
% P" D$ J( p! T, r5 o> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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- ?  J* H/ L. ]7 l( {> 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
# _8 h  o9 V9 b> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
0 Y  R: k- A/ y1 ^> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
( `, Y, m% J# R* ^0 p> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
- I0 h* l0 f: _2 B9 I; g. k# |$ h> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
. I9 h# U1 f2 X: `( {7 b3 ]: [$ u> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
1 I* W% v- [1 }2 Z/ A- }> 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?
9 }4 E0 _- O) S" \) P" T- W>
& A# U% S% U5 ~8 t& N9 ~+ D2 m% Q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ E# @- Y; f" }% x: _+ ]2 Z: E$ y; e6 a> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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7 t0 ?$ _( E' y* }8 H5 r> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
4 P9 S7 U9 Q3 D7 {7 J3 [> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.