Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
% p  u, _/ C$ V! y& Z> 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
$ M& s4 o' _8 ]7 ~, ?> same choice?
>
1 s$ T- c3 ^0 h> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. K4 i5 o, B9 i$ \' j% O> 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:
>
* R4 s' Q1 e5 ~# o2 {& A  U/ z> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
( G* n- A5 j6 a5 m> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 p. p) ^0 E( E, l. j> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
+ T1 l  l# f- U, R# e1 ^> natural order of things in my son?'
) o1 c* O8 l. F+ H>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
4 n$ x5 x. m1 H1 A) V$ }> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. \  K" X4 o0 d/ L  ?. Y. J> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
5 W2 i# F0 r4 x. a- u( G  G6 D+ h$ L) V> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
2 s: L: F3 G3 m: C( s/ y> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
- Y3 \- B9 q( P& L' u> 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.
: M7 o8 e6 M: i; Q9 F>
5 k" W7 w' @2 t4 L( N5 H6 o4 S+ G> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# R& L/ M$ Q$ G7 U" x* t/ Z% n> 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
- {8 z( `( F+ V) a4 B# M' _8 m> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
* Y0 c" w3 {, B8 d> inning.'
>
$ M" ?+ D* ~4 {- ^8 D# Z# L> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
  p" R2 V: O+ c* k# }0 {' i! i, U> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
7 I7 W0 U9 \- [: }% c8 b1 d% s> 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
1 E2 w- l- U: l$ a! o> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
4 J' D  A$ K9 B/ A% _/ P> 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
5 f0 J4 P: ?* b- R' i> next at bat.
>
6 A) b" _+ W' r5 i1 i, e> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 ~$ e) ^, o9 P> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
" A$ C) O  S/ J9 c> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
; N) r; V/ A. q3 a> 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
> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
" i3 V8 {* R& |- J1 }' Q) D> 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.
0 e) m4 Y6 b& h; h2 Y0 K>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
& e( ^, D9 M" f: o+ c> 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
: B% y2 i% ~. J$ e1 ?4 L6 }> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
/ z" ~& L" X$ F+ N> wide-eyed and startled.
% W  B' A  \  a  T% M' k$ v7 [>
* P, N: [: D8 M/ D2 d+ S> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
$ Y" p7 }+ E6 c+ X2 J> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ w* f7 q, Q0 O  _! p# O! R$ g> 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 A- J6 r6 N* h* G+ n) B> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
* d% c" R* ~4 L: ?+ F) y' n> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
$ c) Z! J- j0 h) n> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
# t* p4 B# F# Z/ I: r0 g> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: H6 P9 P; C! M6 O6 e; G> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
( V( j- g. I5 N8 @1 O>
: m) v- B6 D/ |% s8 c! e) h1 n% m> 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
0 K0 J8 x5 S7 M+ m. o: J! m& E: e2 D> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
9 z5 E: x9 c6 o! a5 a# I0 i2 C> game for his team.
9 ^2 w3 s; I$ l. a( X. z2 O>
& \4 }* Z# V$ @+ a1 y" Y, s2 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
> into this world'.
>
> 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
8 Z+ l: x- p0 T  f  R, D  \5 T" i> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
1 }8 h) E  A3 F3 S! l; J/ ?> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
2 s3 e8 L/ i4 z1 c> 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
9 T5 L7 Q- n: h5 T6 n% g  ^> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
$ |7 C9 U. q0 H! P) K> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
" j7 G( q% ^+ E+ d" L> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
" S7 @0 f: d, _9 z# ^0 L> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
0 t" ?, k/ S8 G- c; F/ c9 G> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
$ {! z) D3 v2 n8 K0 d  w* o> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
! w! q2 _5 |! z+ \0 E) U( f> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
; Y. N+ H; b8 S& T1 V. s  F; }: I> bit colder in the process?
5 q; H; g! W- m! U>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
4 O0 t; r8 O+ Y/ p- f2 P- _>
- ?$ ?' C7 s0 a> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.