Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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9 O2 k" r* J: K) H: M> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) S9 l! l  n9 ~$ Q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  k* c$ R4 C2 q' z5 {9 E* ~  r> same choice?
>
4 B; p3 W7 f. E! ~: f> 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
8 `' P$ x; O# e  M> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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5 J4 ?2 s1 l( D7 E$ H4 m9 A: w& G> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 I- T4 W4 A2 o% K2 _* M: }8 @> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
2 H5 {! l5 k1 X) N6 }> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! }6 r' K, Y1 ]) B> 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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> Then he told the following story:
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5 Q, B2 h* x& b# v: O> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
, e1 l# O) O2 H( y% s2 Q! I: y/ z0 F> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> 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,
# z1 l2 ]" ]7 ?% {0 R/ |# W' E: x> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ E; s$ v2 O' Z4 Q* D7 |+ U> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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4 e) ?/ f9 A' }% W, |; [  @> 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
+ m0 D( a  q& ?4 l7 K9 J> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
1 O) R' r4 k1 c> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
" c4 Q/ _* Q9 A4 h> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
2 j8 c6 ?5 j" Y6 z# w( g> 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
/ D1 E7 L1 J9 a9 R& Q4 M% r> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
. y' P% x# `6 H7 r' c" j1 S> 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
> 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
; K2 T7 V3 Q' S" K> next at bat.
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) x6 a: B) x6 u* ?7 r, |> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ M/ `& g6 g! M0 {( v( z> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
( x* t+ T8 b% o3 W3 t0 L> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 A/ D4 J# y! E/ U> 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
5 o6 [" t+ ?# f! r, Q# [> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
2 W* f# I# ]9 e/ E> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
5 N4 |8 V. |& H* s( T5 D: X9 n> 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
: X0 P* [+ v& Y" N4 P% v> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
6 a" z( e6 G# Y8 i/ U8 u8 H# y> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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2 k& l! K7 Z4 w6 w5 ]> 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
0 ^# a  N7 G* i2 f, D# j, z8 T> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
/ I  H4 i7 v- M- C& z3 z> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
) x8 {0 y, P* ~$ r/ o> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
  A) H) a# [" z/ K4 d; i" z> 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
6 c  _% V4 z  B! V& 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,
9 t8 k! Z4 Z3 A) {$ _7 Y> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
9 l1 o0 |: }+ {& S> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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. c3 Q* v8 g* z+ v> 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
1 ?' g; |' @; k$ _2 I1 m) s8 }> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
# p6 \' H6 O+ _1 x1 V; a  T> 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
6 \( K! S! s8 q' C: @# A> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 N) X" ^3 r, ~* T> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
3 M5 ^- M: n" w( b9 M8 h$ R/ x> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 y3 m+ }3 }8 H: l' |, A> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
( N5 p4 y0 z! C  m> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
  v8 q7 G  K7 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
8 k7 T& ~6 @' c3 }> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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! }4 P% }) s7 [$ `8 a: k3 R- q> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 O: z( _( Z3 ~+ {- j> 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
' E( f1 v5 {6 e+ Q& k) D% v> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
  L; E% ?, X0 c" m6 I! ]> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
, S( |- S: C+ U+ P+ v2 i# v. V> 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
* w2 j! ]  T2 c$ j> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- H; x2 o) `* |+ h& i3 L. A8 }> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
2 [$ e, `9 C4 H$ e& }3 J; E( {> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.