Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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( t1 h/ w) ?6 q& E> 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
( a, b) L3 C/ v0 ]+ N5 R: [> same choice?
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' b  {. T' C, |) Z: m" y. F> 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:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
. {9 X" G0 F/ l. U> 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?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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1 f) [; `/ P3 Q" `> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
# ?! t6 @+ F2 g, h* p/ G> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, C( O4 ]2 B0 {. [/ q+ [2 ?5 g> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
& ~$ j9 O2 q' r; L> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
2 l9 X5 \& v, }0 z" t5 |> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
2 r3 B5 k$ M3 Z5 R> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
2 Z, B! `3 B! W9 v6 k> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
; y# I( i7 t, N' j) l1 l" U4 N> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
! `8 _: j7 w7 b0 h6 Y> 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
# K( i6 y* _7 V. U> 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
  D- Q8 ^1 U) W0 D: u$ ~  L" ]  @/ J> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 O4 n; u5 o$ o2 I' l; j) p> 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
; z/ b$ u$ F3 C# i3 ]6 c> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
8 N# D. V7 l  @> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
" C1 t7 r7 e+ R3 p: ~> next at bat.
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! W/ H! ^' ]- F4 q, Q. B/ t> 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
. e9 p+ {7 f1 y( ]1 o/ @> 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
4 c) T1 L# O3 ^8 T> right back to the pitcher.
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$ B! G0 E8 D4 f) x8 }0 A9 E> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 p# H6 O5 z7 w' p> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
( G' Y/ b5 }- P, v' z4 d> 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
$ I- b' H4 o) n0 q. f> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
' Z: n8 g) F( ?8 H% e# ?0 p3 c> 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.
>
( T6 G; Q1 i+ d) E- c5 Z> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
+ R$ O; C' x% R' L, Q3 A5 q> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
6 H3 O' r( p% B. 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
3 h) E7 j* K8 o4 N- W> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
  F+ ~6 j$ I1 {5 T5 B' T> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
, c+ e% y. N  C! l> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
7 \/ j/ Q9 Q3 Q- H8 m& R> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
, S0 |$ L( z1 G' V9 A> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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0 P  M& M9 n. f% G- i4 v> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
8 ^8 i7 h2 k/ B; x) N> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
2 J6 v$ I% {1 f! E> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
/ V% R$ P2 O" s0 G> into this world'.
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> 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 B: A0 s' Y0 m3 W$ N% n) F! H% E> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
7 z% z8 A5 Q, b( t; N# z+ A> 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
1 ]: u1 P6 N( |3 G  z> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
> '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
9 k( ]" p0 e! u6 n* ~> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
7 L; [. k$ R  C7 J3 _> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
. R$ \0 K* F3 }: {% }1 \> 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
9 f3 r: K+ w1 i3 z1 d. [) N" d> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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% l# |- a( g5 \3 t4 R> You now have two choices:
3 k6 L$ U* n: r. m- v> 1. Delete
9 I6 |( T5 W1 A4 M; z: }+ E> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.