Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
* I- m: ^/ c* S( H" M. B( g2 j* u8 X> 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
% Q, s) a& u* Y! r1 ~> same choice?
>
$ y% O. X4 ^0 V9 O> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
3 z4 @/ z, a& I2 K' T> 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
8 f& Z0 [: M9 C) R/ j0 N4 h7 E> natural order of things in my son?'
, i4 \/ K7 u$ C  r5 `/ G>
! K; g& f: h: S* u> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
5 ]; @9 c7 @, E$ e* \) @5 W$ j+ d> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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3 h9 J* ~  w: H/ E7 Y. J' B3 T2 Y> 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
- H5 g; p) b; N$ ?+ r> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
6 \' S+ y& S  h8 |- ?> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
7 P: ~& a$ J' r# U% @% r> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
: j! V4 B1 D4 b# B$ }> 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
9 ?% o- z% c* [# A3 N> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
# S" h) Q* x4 b: Y3 x& D>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ o/ `, _6 n0 d' V! J> 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
- x# x& m# y$ R> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
1 V5 b; R4 P" {& n! ]- m4 E> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
4 a; T" ]0 K0 R1 X  N  o& v> 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
4 ]- Y& }% q5 E" }7 J$ v% h& j> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
6 U2 s" }0 E# n4 b2 u5 D> next at bat.
>
: H; k3 {2 S+ u" |6 N> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ G# c8 j9 R& T0 F3 h> 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,
3 O4 |1 [) c& ]> much less connect with the ball.
. q" t( Z8 _2 Y  Q! y> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
1 a0 \- Z1 M1 x/ e! D0 m> 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 M8 J5 V5 }% u* ~0 ?+ E> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
! K6 }; G7 A7 ~0 o> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
5 b4 y( \0 j, ?! D! C, X4 }0 [> 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
5 e* V/ G5 H# A3 z0 k3 m> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> 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' l# a/ I- h& \> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
4 y7 Q, }( z: E1 W> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
! a% P  f8 {2 R> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 n  ~" l1 u/ W% Z> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
1 D' i8 ]2 D" s- W" X) v> 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
( F4 I+ O% L6 Z$ \' \8 `7 X4 u> 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
# ]' O6 F5 U9 l' m7 W& {8 S$ P; H> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
0 @* q6 z3 z1 }, P2 o; I> circled the bases toward home.
>
* n2 s+ N. ~+ R+ v0 i( \: ]( e( _" `> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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$ ?* I: U4 I& r* r" Z% R> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
8 ^* _: e8 P  r1 o$ Y# \4 A> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
, u; ]( V: P' H7 p0 j! Z>
> 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
1 S8 b) O+ G& Z6 R> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
1 o, P* E' g9 k2 w  o> game for his team.
' u; Z: Q% f3 p/ ~3 P- A' S>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 e1 X( z: z- s- c7 ]> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
: n8 S* k& e3 n> into this world'.
  i; i1 W- o7 n7 R- k' H. }>
" B& r, z' `4 _> 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!
, T3 N/ e* D' Q0 ^; P5 x/ L5 @% k>
> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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  x8 `. L( @( O  h1 b' b> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
" a5 @6 C- v% r> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
, F( O2 Z, r- z! M7 H& `5 F& p> 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
/ _) f: s' K) e1 @! M3 b7 E8 S> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
1 p! D- F" B  ?7 ]> bit colder in the process?
* p$ W! L9 E+ K% q/ }& k>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
2 W: a+ v3 i; x& I. D> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
& M6 F8 g# n( L, q  W* n! ]5 ?>
1 z9 j1 z( d: d( E# _  @. q  y3 W8 u> You now have two choices:
( Q+ n+ L' P/ y. J> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
4 y- N: e% i: O>
! I0 Y9 U9 A  m; ?> May your day, be a Shay Day.