Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
! L8 q# Y% V# l1 O1 P1 |>
> 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?
2 m/ W, Z$ m" p$ @! V! A3 R# D>
" d" g! G7 j  D6 w$ Q3 Q5 `& j) ?9 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
0 M3 a# f7 e) |: k; W7 }> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
% }5 X. v8 \3 l9 V> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- R5 v5 c6 ^) E: l* A> 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
& P. `# b/ u! i( u9 ^: Z> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
( G: s, A: v, S. A- x0 g! S( a> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
, d$ v- a7 D( u* m# C8 z1 M" b> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
( K4 ~6 I/ ^1 v: ?7 n6 i( A( U- _# ^> treat that child.'
1 I# K. |/ K6 t: j3 V! O>
! o" L7 m' M/ p$ _0 V> Then he told the following story:
% u3 {1 ?5 F" v9 J0 C; q>
> 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
1 T+ m/ Y* S0 [# f, I> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
  m4 R4 D! A/ s7 P> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
! `  n. g% R& `! e: @* P> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
8 w' n: b0 ^5 c) {* K1 \> 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 x( p  \/ ~8 p6 v) T. w> inning.'
3 H7 @' n5 T, J& w6 f>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
/ h9 [. a# }! m% w- N> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
& A( d( {, v6 \> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
- o% Z. P- H9 \> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
2 K9 ?( j- s/ Q# w+ }& x> 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
" Y7 D" L( N- J4 }> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
2 v, g6 y, ~( s$ ~, Q>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
7 X7 G1 ~6 H: A' a, |> 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,
4 q; \9 D1 U! r# s, ?8 x/ v6 R1 m> 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
: D; z/ O# N$ x& y$ b" A> 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.
9 @# M3 r% b# m4 y6 f> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
; X* ]$ {9 @: `; F/ M>
( y" |" K9 b1 X% [> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
! I# d+ o7 ^& V2 R>
! g# F! K. p) J; c4 G2 h> 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
" G* d6 [3 N: L; V! T> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
. `/ C  C% K  N5 E$ p> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* j& P% V9 Q! \1 g/ D> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 L. U0 S: X) R- q- I> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
) J( V. S# z7 z/ d! E( o  N  h( O0 B> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
/ Y- Y: T* R. p1 t1 m, e$ Y> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
, v; S* [* u5 w" ]- ^1 `, Q' k. v>
5 v& N- B  _; x( E" c. B7 o> 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!
0 N+ j% j# Z# z9 k; X, o# N: z> Shay, run to third!'
/ T0 v/ H- }) E0 n>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
* _: a  |) Y# [, A- h8 l> 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
> game for his team.
0 F  l% c  p7 A. t) |' c* p! b>
/ `1 [! y& B! `4 u6 f4 ^: m$ ~> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
: ^9 z6 w; [; o4 B/ _' H> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
* `8 _3 D/ r, A3 c: e>
4 }4 y" ]+ L" R1 w" B' i# S> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
( l' Q) Y3 i+ I5 X1 X! \& ?> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
3 ], }1 m0 A" B& L+ f. Q1 i& _6 b> 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.
>
> 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
% t5 \: j/ `# K5 \' j% K( s> '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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
! E- w/ r$ h- ]' \. @; |> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
1 p* B& k$ s  g. D0 ~> bit colder in the process?
) ?1 R- s. x+ X1 `4 Z& l  j0 A1 |>
' M* _: @9 q' e, x; y( k) y: k> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" t7 }9 X. y  ]5 Q8 A. |  y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
$ D# s6 L# s' G- A. F) b> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
5 n4 h- j" \2 x' Z% p> 2. Forward
5 B) W: S3 P7 F5 Q4 I0 R>
; [# h5 Y$ ~" y. t> May your day, be a Shay Day.