Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  l* t# p9 e% H& O  R> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
& H, r  ^* f& t7 ?7 X6 `> same choice?
: |. t1 J/ E8 K% K4 @>
2 U+ ?; @/ p$ A0 v! R; Z6 i' @> 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
5 D* U5 q$ f( u6 p- J- v  }> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
  e2 S( _" |! W> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
# o) \- [0 Z& O> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
, O1 D) S) F* @; v0 N, @> natural order of things in my son?'
>
( C  x1 @' ], S* ~> The audience was stilled by the query.
6 D4 F: v: ~+ _$ B7 D# `3 R6 Z( ~% W>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
$ ~7 @5 i+ e3 V9 \# i> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
& V& ?, N/ b0 V9 G5 H2 j9 }> treat that child.'
>
2 p0 X' k" q4 G" D> Then he told the following story:
- _; ?. h: `; Y' B$ M% ?>
8 Y0 p& u/ J1 ]- r9 X, f: r> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
, B4 M( ~6 G; ]5 L7 A" ~$ G; G> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% A- I: r1 }( I> 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
% T0 j* R5 M+ E: c  ]! z$ p5 O& A6 m> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
/ I/ H& X4 _7 {$ C' \> inning.'
>
1 q1 ~% z5 Z- ]1 V! J1 I: Y> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
8 w# u& E4 e# H) K: \5 E> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
( M6 T! d' W& u, b> 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
8 r6 z* K' `, P) Z5 P% k6 Z> 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
$ v' V* F" j' F* [1 C2 C+ g> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
5 _/ V) m5 }4 f: B$ [9 L# i> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
: H, S; _& a! u- B4 j> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
2 r. m  E1 F( z' E2 t> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
3 t& ^2 ], Y. S, J, I> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
5 `5 Q6 x3 }6 E* l* Q> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
2 ?: }$ B/ ^" Q> 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.
. m8 p) X) D$ A+ F. d. X+ _> 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
> 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.
>
5 Y6 H! ]; k' ?+ d0 }* P* A4 _+ v> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
( _3 u/ k' Z1 p/ `- L/ b. g> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
7 Y  c9 p2 O# w$ }" ^# ^2 K  L" R> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
% e- |9 Z, C0 a> wide-eyed and startled.
>
) ^+ w* H6 q  J2 I: S$ H> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
/ e- _; c; C: M  g! A, u7 F4 k6 b7 ~> 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
3 l. M+ t1 T' o% z9 I: {> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
) u* Y/ |. L- X2 `; O2 s) v, ^- o> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
0 z- d9 }, l! I8 X& f4 I" c; l> 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.
/ [6 s. w( V7 X1 d5 ~>
0 z1 b, W0 X; a) A6 e" F0 d, U+ E2 t> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
0 v9 ^7 F  V8 s9 V- S( k5 K> Shay, run to third!'
>
5 Y, S- P* u3 Y. K1 Z7 }4 |$ c> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
0 r1 B4 i- R. n) w4 F  [0 R( N% }$ l> 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
; f" a5 ?; P! j5 |& ^> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  h/ T* ?( u5 @* v4 A+ Z$ S> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
# F2 |0 B& `7 s- v! t1 m> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
0 Q5 B! K8 F: C; q> 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
4 S( }1 _0 P, N9 G> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
: B2 v2 Z* |8 D& e4 o% X$ u2 ]. l> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
6 p# Y* ]5 s# m9 }: i& \>
1 @  W* f$ @1 g  }/ R: G: I0 O8 J> 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
4 M- F+ M/ L7 w2 ^9 ?; ~5 Y7 }6 H> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
% x8 }' `% |( x. p> 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
> 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
> bit colder in the process?
+ b& i. V2 ^$ E7 o! P- C4 M>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
; N" M5 `$ }. t! p0 d>
> You now have two choices:
8 Z# J2 ?0 g0 V% L% W' e> 1. Delete
! @. x: O& Y: m2 l; R> 2. Forward
! I# u: O' A8 x! X( n! `>
6 X! ^: n$ B$ s' `3 G. H> May your day, be a Shay Day.