Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
8 |) S- K/ L/ x' b( ~, N>
0 q# X9 z) x! b3 ~8 U' b: n) G: 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
> same choice?
>
# x3 _! O4 R0 Y6 z( }9 h> 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
( W9 N0 ~% b( P' H2 V7 p9 {/ e> staff, he offered a question:
>
) D" p) t% O; ~- a  Y> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
& d: s* s6 ^8 w! V>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
9 f% c* x: F# P( L; V> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: k, F1 ~, N% }> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
1 ?& A+ m. Q/ `> treat that child.'
; n; m( k. s& [; }+ W8 W1 ?1 q5 I. C, d>
9 G& ?2 O+ T9 d5 f8 s8 b3 T> Then he told the following story:
$ x8 e# J& S* N1 M+ |/ @7 Q/ C>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
" v( y1 n5 D, y+ a> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
; a6 u! w$ b+ t3 y' w> 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
/ g6 }- I- X1 ]' P' ~; o> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 \; B; g: @3 W0 _  R6 t> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
/ e$ Y9 u$ @& F+ O6 `1 H; p1 Y; w> 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.'
>
> 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
! o* T% G6 d7 |, C> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
0 M3 k  H( g4 F5 K, ~/ Z+ Z8 h> 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
> 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
1 u. f4 M' f, f6 k/ q" i0 T> 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
- |$ y" f  B4 @+ J9 k# ?0 J0 a> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
. x- D& M4 c% X, A8 j2 [, I5 b) @" }+ k> next at bat.
) J& F) b" s) w- ]8 t# Z9 Z>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> 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.
> 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
9 G* p7 r2 ^2 H' v; B* u, t* c> right back to the pitcher.
2 j2 ~9 Q! c& t5 ?. i( A* n* R, `( k  {>
> 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
  a- m. M% W, m' q. ]( H% V/ c- j% h> out and that would have been the end of the game.
$ A+ k8 ]$ C0 U8 n* A" F>
> 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
> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
2 g# ?. u  M3 l> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* q* o/ {4 K1 I8 r' W3 ^. I3 E> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
& P8 Y1 C6 h0 k* P) b3 `> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
6 ]0 o' t8 Q" T5 q1 o> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
) h# Q/ A4 z' R! X> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
6 v( g5 ~7 J2 q7 L- c# i> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
" U5 \5 U4 q9 J' t> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
: x' V% \9 P4 Y  t# b2 N. k>
  @# x$ c) M- W& M  F1 U6 m> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
, I! O' W+ @1 J- V+ S# ]- H, O>
5 R8 R. V8 n, P> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
' E8 ^) H1 P/ \6 p  n  k2 w> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
. t  I6 D& v# s# F2 q> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  a( M  b  W, N0 d( |8 Q, Z> game for his team.
9 y2 j3 |6 t6 V8 n>
> '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'.
>
# Y  @- f: }* f  ~3 w5 ~& a: W> 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
) @( `. s/ f$ M& i% P> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
6 a9 a$ B( k: w3 j; I' W" N9 ?> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  J0 @; e( i3 ^) s. g$ `> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
5 _: N& ^( F: T( O8 |> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
' I9 u' c( N3 h0 }$ O9 c> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
( A' U* M- _8 b5 X> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
' M  r. e$ W' r, q) [  a>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; Z# B. r# ~7 O1 G+ i5 p$ x2 q> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
  N9 m3 O" a! }8 t) f3 c> '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
' f% A, @+ w7 W3 F> 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?
) u& c- k0 a( \" X>
2 {" {1 y! k% `! D' |8 ?> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
# n* r1 b5 o9 B5 B  K/ K0 X: _>
5 m8 H7 p; ?% I! L5 R* E> You now have two choices:
! P0 w: h* d' L4 h5 {2 F> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.