Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
2 e$ D/ W" Z$ [. }4 ?) ~% H> 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
8 A+ {; w- P0 i' n0 v# N> same choice?
>
; C1 K6 O: Y; a4 x. `> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ ~+ Q  ]" h2 ~1 I+ L* y- ^! K> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
8 B2 T/ |) s0 a. `* c. d( _/ h> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
! u# S0 m2 u5 K( h' E3 q+ j> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
% Y2 W6 |  B" o( d> natural order of things in my son?'
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, o4 S. A& q! x- B2 X( q  L3 x7 T4 }> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 K9 H! u4 D0 i- C> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# Z: \/ j3 @. o5 t: r2 z> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
" g$ M8 K& J( S; B  p> treat that child.'
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3 y( s; T. X7 V2 y4 s> Then he told the following story:
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2 K+ z$ Q  Q+ \2 M: X/ V> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
- t, z2 K& a+ K+ t) n4 y; D> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
# _5 g, \3 ~8 S2 E! V& P0 J" ^> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
. t9 M, T$ E9 O# Z6 _& K, s> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
9 y7 y( `9 Y: C. ^> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
- P9 H) o2 H# \: i> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
" q- s) c) m6 X  z# h>
/ V( M6 A$ `6 j2 I0 i9 a> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
5 ^& l) c$ l) v" C* ^2 a> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
9 L" n# \" M3 r. }> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
/ d$ p* ]% _8 m: D> 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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6 n, D- L  G& a" i7 u9 w/ e2 i0 x> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> 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
- \' z' x7 g0 m; \9 e> 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
! _& a3 c- F# e% e- U2 a" U+ c> 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
0 g* B4 E) A" |- b> next at bat.
>
" @6 \- n6 ~& s# ~  U. ]) y> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ h4 V" o# a; M; B> 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.
3 h2 h9 Y7 |8 W  ?> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
% ?7 Q' q1 g, J3 Q; g  ?> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
, s6 l' m  n0 w" Q6 U; i> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
6 h  R7 j3 n- I; A% `% ?$ h> 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 Y$ C$ O5 V' h% e# I> 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
: V) M" Q( Z; N; `% y> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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) e4 [8 x1 T* g" s> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
, z- P$ i) g. o, F$ X> 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' T1 a8 I" A5 s9 q  p$ E& C> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
& x1 }, r/ E7 K6 n> wide-eyed and startled.
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( x9 F, P! J. W  D: {; H> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* ^; V0 L* z$ a' w* W6 v& [; C- p> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, W" g8 h, @7 C' h* R' r+ J. W7 U> 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
8 n. O( a5 L! y& |* y5 a> 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
  z/ n( [) M& {" p4 F> circled the bases toward home.
>
. D4 R: \- g4 Y+ f$ ^+ I2 O) B> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
6 A, P" h* c2 _# h# c>
> 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!
# o& w4 q$ |6 M0 K> Shay, run to third!'
>
  n4 t3 P3 F0 j$ R% p" ?& _> 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
; a; y, u$ C. y  e8 ]> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
5 i1 i9 w- B; O) j- }) U>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
( [- q6 r. ?# E! m' K& u0 B4 B> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
. S6 a2 P$ `8 m0 O' ~>
: j6 _6 P' k: [- W/ R( 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
3 ^6 y9 b1 \  u/ c0 F0 Q) ?8 P> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
1 B$ q( z* y3 a  L" f* V3 A/ O> 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
- s) p/ A7 K, C, k> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
9 x# t- v& Z! X( M0 U9 m" T& I/ l: {> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' j& F: r8 ?6 f1 E. u> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; l4 e+ E% R' I2 _$ ~9 ]) t7 W6 j& P& W> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
- F7 V! i% t) R9 u7 }> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
! m! }8 a4 P* F2 d5 I+ s- n> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
0 m7 A0 }2 c! g/ T> 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?
>
# z; M& f) M2 D2 R6 G( @> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
1 n  v+ x9 b4 F  U$ Y. G% M: ^& _> You now have two choices:
' q$ b5 H! ^8 n1 _> 1. Delete
, Z7 t8 [, f7 m3 G0 ^- ^> 2. Forward
5 X/ X- G, t! ^8 j>
# W9 v( @3 ?! z2 s2 b( P> May your day, be a Shay Day.