Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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* B7 q! u) Q( ?* O' D. P; p> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
& x) m7 D/ ~9 t# h# E+ r> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
. L5 ^8 W/ A; Z, b# Z> same choice?
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, L7 D  S" A1 s7 P* U, a9 b> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# _. E. D3 k2 H5 A: w1 D> 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:
>
; U; l0 q% {3 X) d> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
2 @: b. y- z* E4 q# |> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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+ M. O. k7 v1 X7 G- q> The audience was stilled by the query.
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3 R: `  o9 P" s. F> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 F3 B4 q7 o1 t9 W8 |> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
6 y( z# f# B- U  d0 R, y, S: F> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
" ^. K% q3 p/ K: `) k* X> treat that child.'
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  A+ [! j( x  X) o; S> Then he told the following story:
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2 B1 f* Z& o0 H2 g, s: i4 u) M> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
" W1 v8 i7 m9 J+ `# Q> 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,
: c2 \& R2 R4 U. \& }> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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  j8 b7 g. {, v7 d2 t> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 h; U  e0 p6 Q0 N9 U% w1 N+ P> 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
8 U/ s# X1 ~$ l3 T/ |& O> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
2 n0 p0 j( G$ U. j3 m- }> inning.'
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> 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
2 V8 e7 d. y" y8 h, L> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
. j. e4 o: ~9 d> 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
9 y3 `' q  T) z: _" T> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
6 F& V' X, a, K' h; _> 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
+ f: O. N8 @8 e- J8 j! h; k, \( J> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
, ~% j% s8 O. _: I> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 F" w9 ?6 A5 y( Y7 h4 e9 o> much less connect with the ball.
1 W! x8 b8 p' g! O, X> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
8 _) x5 Z0 y; l% m" [& D> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ \3 S, F6 c! d> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
  O* }4 `/ L' X% V/ a7 @> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
! M* i) j3 y3 |3 T> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) v- H7 B! l* |/ u' q> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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" V# w; d$ @, K, \) y" O> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; V4 Q! I( i! E, z& o  |> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
2 z9 z2 Q$ k3 W" Q% |# H# F> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
% @$ ?) Q$ I& G3 O$ h> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
+ h' M5 k+ @0 P& F* o> wide-eyed and startled.
>
: d) v# [0 S0 k4 E- ^> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ F. v- h# E3 _2 S0 W> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
, P! C3 X. N( W8 K> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ T( E  n/ \& @& j7 ^> 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,
+ ?" R) R9 V8 ~> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
( \9 V* s" D3 {0 j> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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3 v9 n; H5 _3 F4 K- @- y) A0 }> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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( r. a+ u6 ?1 C+ ~1 ]> 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!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; h! [1 ?5 K* e$ @> 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
9 ~, v3 L3 k# X, B9 v2 J8 V! H> game for his team.
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> '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'.
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# Q) i: f1 {" E9 `5 Q> 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!
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: X2 i9 K- o! x/ g) L> 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 ]* ?/ _- X- W; g, [- C> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 g3 z8 V7 ~" N$ {4 k> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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( b# ?$ `' F2 J3 [, M- F5 s2 G> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 b0 l+ g8 P- l8 d+ ]5 |; u/ ?> 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
/ O" U0 }2 a4 X5 d- v> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
, W# G; w  I6 a> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! n4 p' i. p( _$ _: d; l> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
. l& z) \3 `+ r- Y4 J+ e! f1 u> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
+ X9 ?9 V/ m2 ]: d. u; |> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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6 l3 K: {; w+ u- y: B- A> May your day, be a Shay Day.