Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
1 b; e  U9 s+ I3 e: o( l>
+ H2 Z& U& s5 H$ m) y> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: E, g) v$ j# i5 U& C. U' ]> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> 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
& V1 n6 ~  h0 k. `" ]' ]! `# {3 o/ x> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
0 C5 e0 n/ j0 M) N, q>
  m1 y0 V7 X0 x# {3 n> '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?'
' ]8 V( _( E9 A( z4 p# P/ h: n>
: P. N/ z. f' G. U> The audience was stilled by the query.
. q; P8 Q% x4 l2 S3 r>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
/ G  t+ K& r2 x( e> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
/ }$ a& N' B) B5 l) J. s>
) c% e6 `3 P% V9 m* i, J, n9 b2 M> 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
, a6 }$ W* Z' D4 ?, M% J6 v$ |1 H> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
, C4 k: ?- |4 R  z2 n> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
" v4 m& b$ @5 j$ q' q+ N> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
5 u7 T2 o4 G5 i>
> 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
5 d" Z# J- h  j# t' i" n% ^; R  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
1 g* z* y5 O4 j2 ~. a1 ]> inning.'
>
- @/ ]- G3 I1 w  u3 W/ [# p. u  F( V> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
1 ?- {! q1 W/ S# ?" d' b> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
/ U% n, H: V& h. ]2 T> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
! {$ R% V) b. {% O* x$ _> 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
( |9 v7 {6 D- H2 }( I* W1 A  h3 @> 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 c) \4 L8 ]7 i3 H# N: F> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
# O7 M. W/ v9 ^5 k5 X5 r# Y> 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
> next at bat.
' p+ A+ D( U  q$ \+ _* B7 C>
( l0 X* {! Y; V0 w> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; d9 ]6 I4 p+ ^> 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.
9 h/ S' _% {5 D+ e> 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
3 B, g8 n8 g: h4 q$ z/ B# v> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
5 e2 u; E  ^4 L& ~# h5 ~# }>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: a0 h3 ~% k% G* `. ~> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
( s! Z$ }8 }. S- y' b6 t  n! Z! H> 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
7 A# f! T1 y0 M0 N9 k+ e% M  m> 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,
. Q  L4 a8 x4 p3 g& L* v" y> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
+ f7 l. l7 A4 A> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
. q, p# A2 ?7 U/ c% ~& }> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
% f4 i& N6 V" P9 u. X+ m> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
+ S2 u; t- [) p( O> 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
- H) T$ y3 r5 ^> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
* w7 N" R* F4 R6 b2 U- p) ~/ s+ B>
> 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
# d% w$ Q$ S! o$ ]$ E; \0 U0 }> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
0 z# L% P5 j+ F/ O2 h  ~6 @! ~>
> 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!
>
( |" m# C: S- n* j/ B4 t> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
; x" q3 {! ^8 y5 Y- E: V> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
6 `# p% S) \  V7 H& F> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
5 m2 d) T  U, x> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
8 a' r! ^* h+ {, S1 m" B>
8 G0 I4 Z+ o, U2 O. k5 @> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
+ x/ I+ [) h$ M2 V> 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?
>
- N# [4 a) R& H: F7 n+ D0 ~> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# }, |$ d& y! }# N% Q7 Q> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
3 T4 E2 Y! T' R! }0 k" a7 q/ m>
# I: h$ `/ `% o1 U: C# U5 `5 l> You now have two choices:
( G3 X& D" i- |" U. Y+ D> 1. Delete
9 V* q6 ]5 J, C' F> 2. Forward
8 s5 `! S1 o, N1 `>
  B! Y$ V' p5 R/ Z$ y/ n> May your day, be a Shay Day.